European retailer adopts RFID

Los Angeles Checkpoint Systems announced at the NRF Loss Prevention Conference & Expo in Los Angeles the successful implementation of its Merchandise Visibility solution for the $1.3-billion, 851-store Swiss-based international apparel retailer Charles Vogele. After successfully deploying the solution at its Slovenian stores, the retailer is now planning to implement the solution more broadly across its global supply chain and stores throughout Europe.

The system provides a comprehensive, source-to-store solution across the retailer's entire supply chain — from point of manufacture to point of sale — using standard electronic product code (EPC) Gen 2 labels. It is the first standards-based solution to RFID-enable a retailer's entire supply chain, according to Checkpoint.

The solution implemented for Charles Vogele is designed to enable retailers to streamline their supply chains by applying smart tags to apparel merchandise at point of manufacture, and reading the tags throughout the logistics operations and into the store. Once it is at the store, retailers can track item-level merchandise throughout the facility into the back room, on the selling floor, in fitting rooms and at point of sale. This visibility enables retailers to optimize their inventory replenishment, reducing out-of-stocks and on-hand inventory, while improving sales.

For Charles Vogele, this means the right merchandise will reach the right store shelves at the right time. With over 70 million garments sourced annually from more than 400 suppliers and distributed to 34 consolidation hubs throughout Asia and Europe, Charles Vogele's supply chain operations present a logistical challenge for the retailer. The company can now track and trace individual garments along its entire supply chain, gaining real-time visibility.

“Our adoption of RFID has transformed and improved our operations from source to store. We have begun streamlining our operations and supporting our sales in ways that simply were not possible before; in many ways this marks the beginning of a retail revolution," commented Thomas Beckmann, VP supply chain, Charles Vogele Group.

The benefits of the new system extend throughout Charles Vogele's stores as well, enabling store associates to gain an accurate view of merchandise on the sales floor and in the back room, and re-stock faster and more efficiently than the previous manual process.

Charles Vogele's Beckmann added, "Our adoption of RFID is transforming our business and ensuring that our customers find what they are looking for. In the fast-moving fashion industry, responding to the expectations of customers is the difference between success and failure."