Canadian discount retailer enhances product development

Giant Tiger Stores Ltd. is rolling out a product lifecycle management (PLM) solution to support collaboration in design and product development.

The Ottawa, Canada-based discount retailer has selected the CGS BlueCherry Next PLM tool to bring together all product development stakeholders, including suppliers and vendors as well as design and product development groups. Leveraging the BlueCherry solution, Giant Tiger seeks to drive product development from concept to adopted product, improve data integrity, centralize digital assets, and support the generation of comprehensive product tech packs.

The retailer chose the BlueCherry Next PLM solution for features including seamless integration with Adobe Illustrator and what it found to be an intuitive, flexible and configurable user interface. GGS will also offer expertise and resources in retail and consumer goods, with the ultimate goal of supporting the retailer's current and future business requirements and helping to increase efficiency, collaboration and visibility across the supply chain.

The configurable, no-code PLM solution is designed to improves speed-to-market and controls cost, while providing total visibility, control and compliance in the supply chain. Part of the larger BlueCherry enterprise platform, the application can also deliver a broader set of integrated line planning, design, product development, sourcing and production capabilities.

Giant Tiger has been working to digitalize its enterprise supply chain management processes. Previously, the retailer deployed technology from Relex Solutions to support planning processes and efficiencies throughout its supply chain and across its franchised stores. The Relex solution replaced a combination of an ERP system and manual planning, streamlining the processes within a single platform. 

As a result, Giant Tiger expects to obtain greater visibility into expected store-level sales, improving its ability to meet demand throughout the season. The company is integrating inventory forecasting and replenishment for its distribution centers and franchise store locations.

“We operate on a franchise model that ensures members of their local community serve our shoppers — but the model of course comes with its own planning intricacies,” Jim Black, CIO of Giant Tiger Stores Ltd., said at the time of the initial Relex rollout. 

“With more than 35 years of experience in the apparel and consumer lifestyle market, CGS understands the value of having the right solutions in place to efficiently and effectively run business operations,” said Paul Magel, president, business applications and technology outsourcing division, CGS. “We are excited to welcome Giant Tiger to our thriving BlueCherry community of consumer goods brands and retailers and look forward to building a long-lasting relationship with the team.”

Giant Tiger, a leading privately held, Canadian-owned family discount store, has over 260 locations across Canada. The product assortment includes everyday essentials, family fashion items, and household needs. All of Giant Tiger’s franchised store locations are locally owned or operated, and the company also operates the gianttiger.com e-commerce site. Giant Tiger employs over 10,000 associates and operates its own distribution centers and trucking fleet.