Charming Shoppes renews agreement with GT Nexus

Oakland, Calif. GT Nexus Tuesday announced that Charming Shoppes has renewed and expanded its commitment to using a GT Nexus Web-based data platform for its import management.

Delivered via the software as a service (SaaS) model, the GT Nexus platform supports and automates a range of processes for the retailer, including item-level visibility, air and sea freight contracting, Customs documentation, and performance analytics.

"For the past few years, we have relied on the GT Nexus system to provide the visibility and control necessary to manage our import operations,” said Laurie Everill, director of international trade, logistics and compliance at Charming Shoppes, Bensalem, Pa. “We have a great foundation in place which we plan to build out and leverage further across our operation, including expansion of capabilities into automated freight audit and actual landed cost calculation."

The platform includes an import data hub that captures and standardizes information about inventory and shipments, fed into the system electronically from other systems run by partners in the supply chain. The data is then used to populate a suite of Web applications that, in turn, automate key import processes as well as interface data with internal mainframe based systems. Capabilities of the Charming Shoppes' platform include:

• Item-level visibility at the bill of lading, container, purchase order, SKU, size, color, and/or style level;
• Customs document creation;
• Ocean and Air freight contracting and spend management; and
• Import-performance analytics and reports.

The entire platform is hosted and managed by GT Nexus.

Charming Shoppes is able to track inbound inventory broadly at the container level or according to details such as size, color, or style. Exception management and the capability to deliver proactive alerts if something does not go according to plan help minimize surprises and keep supply chain stakeholders informed. Visibility data is also repurposed and fed electronically to Charming's Customs broker for entry documentation preparation.