B&Q deploys SAP’s forecasting and replenishment application

Eastleigh, United Kingdom -- SAP AG announced that British multinational home-improvement retailing company B&Q has gone live with the SAP Forecasting and Replenishment application. The deployment is part of the chain’s "Project Clover" business transformation program.



With the implementation of the SAP solution, B&Q expects to see significant savings across stock reduction, increased profit from better product availability and cost savings in logistics through better forecasting and planning. As manual processes are replaced with automated processes, the company also expects to see increased efficiency in its supply chain. Stock quantities and phasing will match each individual stores' sales patterns and the platform will allow collaborative relationships and planning with suppliers throughout the supply chain.



“Stock availability is at the heart of everything B&Q does, so we need to have the most efficient processes in place to remain at the top of our game and continue to delight our customers everyday,” said Suren Sornalingam, project executive, B&Q. “Project Clover was so much more than a technical implementation – it was a fundamental change in our business journey. We had to ensure everything was planned appropriately and effectively rolled out to our workforce of 32,000.”



B&Q has been replenishing stock across its 357 stores for over 10 years with material requirements planning software from SAP. An increased level of manual processes and a need for improved forecasting capability were the key driving forces behind B&Q's choice to upgrade its system.