Wilkinson improves merchandising, fulfillment operations

London Wilkinson is using a new space-planning solution to improve its store-specific category management and better meet local customer demand across its chain.

The chain is using the Space Planning and Intactix Knowledge Base tools, from Scottsdale, Ariz.-based JDA Software Group, to streamline its merchandising strategies on a segmented level. The solutions are replacing manual in-store systems.

“These are more sophisticated operational and merchandising solutions that will manage our increased product offering, improve shelf efficiency and increase space productivity with optimized space and floor planning,” said Phil Barnes, commercial planning manager, Wilkinson.

Space Planning’s inventory modeling functionality targets inventories for each product, helping to reduce inventories while keeping the right amount of product on hand. JDA Intactix Knowledge Base supports Wilkinson’s business processes surrounding category management and provides the details needed to drive planograms and fact-based product assortments and store clusters.

Wilkinson will use the technology across its 230 stores.

In another effort to streamline its fulfillment and merchandising efforts, Wilkinson recently installed TradeStone Supplier Management, from TradeStone, Gloucester, Mass., a platform that supports communication and collaboration between trading partners.

The chain is trading in its spreadsheets and multiple software applications for a solution that allows Wilkinson to electronically collaborate with its suppliers. Using key performance indicators, the retailer can capture transactional data such as planned vs. actual milestone dates, percentage of quality assurance failures and number of late shipments.

The solution also helps the chain monitor compliance and regulations, and supplier report cards help Wilkinson evaluate their factories and vet the quality of their vendors. The operations work to reduce fulfillment costs, improve the quality of goods and reduce returns, all factors that can increase customer satisfaction.

“Having all the data available in one place has eliminated previous ad hoc processes and e-mail based communication, and enabled us to make decisions for the first time based on the quality of suppliers we’re working with,” said Barnes.

The platform is consolidating all supplier data used in both of Wilkinson’s Hong Kong- and U.K.-based offices.