Academy Sports taps Oracle Retail Solutions to upgrade systems toward growth

New York -- Sports retailer Academy Sports + Outdoors has implemented Oracle Retail solutions to support growth by streamlining merchandising and inventory operations.



The 185-store chain has targeted sales growth in-store and online and, according to Oracle, as retailers manage an increasingly more complex array of customer segments and channels, success hinges on simplifying and optimizing mission-critical operations such as pricing, inventory management and allocation.



For Academy Sports, the 2014 implementation of Oracle Retail solutions is significantly reducing the time needed for key allocation tasks and is promising even more widespread benefits as the company deploys additional optimization tools. The chain, which generates more than $4 billion in annual sales, saw recent growth outpacing the capabilities of its legacy IT systems. The company launched a two-year project to upgrade the systems that support its merchandising, forecasting, inventory, and financial operations. It chose Oracle Retail solutions to create an IT architecture that could keep pace with the company’s expansion.



Earlier this year, the retailer completed its move to a full suite of integrated, standards-based Oracle solutions including Oracle Retail Merchandising System, Oracle Retail Price Management, Oracle Retail Sales Audit, Oracle Retail Invoice Matching, Oracle Retail Demand Forecasting, Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management, and Oracle Retail Allocation.



The implementation gives Academy Sports + Outdoors the flexibility to upgrade and add new capabilities more readily, which in turn allows the company to efficiently optimize inventory and margins across regions and channels.



“Transformation is critical to compete in an omnichannel market. Academy Sports + Outdoors is expanding rapidly, and with that growth comes the need for a system that is scalable and can grow with us,” said Mike Hazel, chief information officer, Academy Sports + Outdoors. “Oracle Retail provides us with a foundation for growth and an integration strategy.”