Robert Goddard transforms retail operations with Eurostop
“The Eurostop team are extremely knowledgeable and professional but more importantly very approachable. The team ensured the migration to our new solution was as pain-free as possible. Each time we speak with them it validates our decision to have invested in a Eurostop solution,” Steve Shephard, Operations Manager, Robert Goddard The company has improved rate of sales, profit margins and turnover of stock. Optimisation of warehouse processes has improved efficiency, enabling the business to expand capacity without increasing headcount costs and as a result expect to see a Return on Investment within six months Eurostop solution connects offline and online channels for streamlined customer experience and online growth. The Challenge – Fast Fashion “We wanted a provider that had proven experience in the retail space and understood the importance of effective stock management across all retail outlets, both physical and virtual,” said Steve. Robert Goddard retail stores stock some of the most sought after casual fashion brands including Hugo Boss, Armani, Ted Baker and Ralph Lauren. Their entire product range often changes according to seasons and effective stock management is essential to avoid having to discount excess stock at end of season sales. Furthermore, new season product ranges from leading brands are in high demand and often stock is sent part shipped to retailers, with the remainder of the order despatched a few weeks later. Previously, stock would remain in the Robert Goddard warehouse until the complete shipment had been goods receipted and only then would stock be allocated to retail stores. The company wanted to speed up the process of despatching in-demand stock to stores whilst maintaining an accurate record of live stock allocation across all sites including the warehouse. The Solution – A Perfect Fit The Operations team led by manager Steve Shephard conducted an extensive 9-month review of ten different Stock Management and EPOS solutions. Eurostop was selected for its in-depth knowledge of the retail sector and insight into the impact of seasonality and stock management on sales margins. Eurostop’s connected systems, encompassing e-manager, e-rmis, e-pos touch and e cubes solutions were deployed to manage retail operations across all stores, the online channel and warehouse distribution centre. “Seasonality is a large part of the retail business model and very few of the other solutions we evaluated had the functionality to manage entire stock shifts without costly development workarounds. Eurostop have an extensive retail client list and this experience is reflected in their solutions, the functionality we needed was available straight out of the box,” said Steve. Eurostop also developed an automated part allocation service that keeps track of stock received and automatically allocates to stores whilst keeping track of balances. When the remainder of the order is fulfilled and delivered into the warehouse the allocation service alerts the warehouse operatives to which stores require stock and automatically adjusts balances within the system. The Result – Tailored to perfection “Stock management is absolutely essential to the profitability of our business. By investing in the development of this additional functionality we have gained considerable efficiencies in the warehouse and maintained headcount whilst expanding the business. The investment has paid for itself through the efficiencies we’ve gained,” said Steve. From store managers through to head office, the company has realised considerable time savings by automating manual processes. Whereas previously head office would call each store for stock updates, now all the information is held centrally. Equally, any decisions made at head office, such as product or pricing data can be propagated to stores quickly through e-manager, which synchronises the company’s ERP system with the whole e-pos estate. Improved data quality and accuracy has increased visibility across the business and enhanced decision-making. In addition to standard information such as sales by style, size, colour, location and margin, e-cubes reporting has enabled forensic analysis of sales performance over time periods, which has improved overall stock management and stock rotation between stores. As a result of better data analysis, the commercial buying team have been able to track seasonal and buying trends per store ensuring stock is rotated to the location where it’s needed. By reducing stock stagnation, the company has minimised the amount of stock discounted in end of season sales, resulting in improved margins. “The Eurostop team have been fantastically supportive, they guided us through the planning and implementation process and ensured we had a solution designed to address our current and future needs.” “The expanse of features that the Eurostop solution provides has enabled us to develop an exciting roadmap of great new customer centric services. We have plans to launch a customer loyalty program, with the capabilities the Eurostop solution brings to our business, the sky’s the limit!” concluded Steve. Company Background Robert Goddard is an independent quality clothing business with 7 stores located in prime, high street positions, offering distinctive style and choice from some of the best design houses in Europe and America. The company also offers a service for made to measure, hand tailored suits enabling customers to enjoy a perfectly fitting, quality suit, designed to their exact requirements. Founded by George Goddard in 1895, Robert Goddard stores still offer the same high standards of quality clothing and customer service as were insisted on by the founder over one hundred years ago.
M&S International improves customer service with Eurostop Retail Systems in stores
“The Eurostop solution is a big step forward for our Hong Kong business. It will give us a better overall customer experience, provide us with great promotions capability to drive sales, help our store colleagues to be more efficient and give us a modern platform to build on for the future.” Tim Robson, Project Manager, M&S International Business benefits seen by M&S International Integration to M&S’ SAP ERP system provides the Head Office with up-to-date sales data from Hong Kong and Macau stores Real-time lookup from POS into SAP provides store colleagues with real-time stock figures across Hong Kong estate New multi-promotions capability at till point, reduces complexity for colleagues and average wait time for customer, maximising revenue opportunities Custom development projects use innovative technology to enhance the instore experience for colleagues and customers Download the full case study to read more… Case study download Download the full Case Study now to see how M&S International improved customer service in stores. Case study download Please fill out the form below in order to receive the download link for your chosen case study. [email-download download_id=”8228″ contact_form_id=”8241″]
Galaxy Optical sees bright future ahead with Eurostop
“Eurostop’s knowledge and understanding of European fiscal compliance was invaluable, they guided us through the taxation and legislation complexities at every stage of the project.” Jarrod Brown, IT Director, Galaxy Optical Galaxy Optical expands European operations with acquisition of 27 optician practices across Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Eurostop e-pos and e-rmis solution was rolled out to acquired and rebranded stores with minimal business downtime. New solution ensures adherence to regulatory tax compliance across the countries. The Challenge – Sights set on new horizons Following the purchase of 27 optician practices in Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, Galaxy Optical wanted quick roll-out of a new EPOS solution to each retail outlet. They needed a provider that understood European taxation legislation and could work to tight time scales across multiple regions. Debra Jones, Project Manager, Galaxy Optical explains; “We had an aggressive project plan in place for the delivery of a new EPOS system and rebrand of each store. We needed a provider that had a proven track record, not only working on international projects, but in this specific area because any slips in schedule would have delayed stores reopening; inconveniencing customers and impacting store revenue.” The Solution – Vision into reality As part of the RFP process, a wide range of solutions were explored and evaluated. Several key stakeholders across the organisations were involved in the decision, including finance, IT and the international retail team. Eurostop’s e-pos and e-rmis systems were selected for their advanced features, ease of use and most importantly ability to comply with the tax legislation in each country with a proven international client portfolio. In order to comply with regulations, businesses have to electronically evidence sales via a fiscal printer attached to a till point. For Poland and Slovakia, each transaction is printed on a fiscal printer and saved to the SD Card located inside the fiscal printer. The SD card can be checked at any time by the Tax Authority to ensure that the shops comply with the fiscal laws. For Czech Republic fiscalisation a standard printer is used but each transaction must receive an authorisation code from the government server, which must be printed on the receipt. The award-winning suite of retail software from Eurostop complies with certification standards, allowing Galaxy Optical to use the same solution across Europe. Eurostop ticked every box on our list, it’s a reliable, intuitive solution that has been quickly embraced by the team,” said Debra. The Result – Valuable Insight Cohesive planning and partnership, followed by a whistle stop tour of cities and countries saw the successful delivery of the new EPOS system – on budget and on time. The fast roll-out of the solutions ensured there was minimal disruption to customers and retail sales during the transition period. Galaxy Optical now has the ability to track, order and allocate stock across their entire European retail estate from one central location. Employees can access accurate stock information across the business from any till point, in any store, providing customers with a greater level of service. All tills are connected to electronic fiscal devices that provide the electronic evidence of sales required by the tax authorities, ensuring full compliance in the respective countries. In summary Jarrod said; “Eurostop have been a responsive and diligent partner throughout this project. I cannot overemphasize just how tight the timelines were but Eurostop delivered, ensuring support was available when and where we needed it. Their breadth of experience and depth of resources have guided us through the complexities of tax legislation in other countries, this project has been a perfect example of what can be achieved through cohesive partnership.” Eurostop’s system is used in 30 countries worldwide, at 45,000 locations, and has been specifically designed to cater for many variations of global pricing, and local sales tax by city, area, state and country. The system can also handle fiscalisation, a requirement for many countries in Europe. For UK retailers looking to expand internationally, it is important to work with an IT partner who understands the local requirements and culture. If you are interested in international expansion, contact us to speak to a retail expert. Company Background Galaxy Optical designs, produces and distributes a range of high quality eyewear products, as well as providing complete optical practice management solutions which includes appointment, product and order management, store fit and online and offline marketing. The company has had a presence in the UK since 1998 and in that time has brought to the optical market end-to-end solutions supporting one of the top three retail businesses in the world.
FatFace makes a splash across the pond with Eurostop
“As a business moving into a new market, we needed an IT partner with international experience, that understood the local tax and trading legislation, and could move fast. Eurostop was the only provider who had a tried and tested solution for the US market advanced enough for our growth plans, and most importantly, could also meet our tight deadlines.” FatFace extends their international footprint with five new stores on the East Coast of America Successful rollouts of Eurostop’s e-pos touch ensures compliance with local state and country retail tax regulations The Challenge – Expanding into new waters With the opening of five new stores on the East Coast of America, FatFace needed a retail systems provider with international experience. The new EPOS system had to be suitable not only for international trading, but compliant with US state tax laws. The retailer needed an IT systems provider who had experience in this arena and could be trusted to get them up and running within tight deadlines, in order to maximise trading during up-coming holiday periods, and keep their expansion plans on track. “The US is an important market for us as we expand our retail footprint and take FatFace international. We located our first stores on the east coast as we identified it as a good fit for the brand, matching the demographic with our lifestyle clothing ranges,” said Simon Ratcliffe, Infrastructure Director at FatFace. The Solution – An English Design After extensive research in the retail systems market, the team selected the award winning retail solution from UK based Eurostop. FatFace looked at a number of solutions, but the competition did not have the IT infrastructure needed for the company’s growth plans. Eurostop offered a well-matched solution, and had a proven track record in the US. e-pos touch is used in store at till point and each location is fully connected to the company’s global stock inventory via an estate manager for companywide reporting. To ensure that stock control between the UK and US is seamless Eurostop is also connected with FatFace’s existing ERP system by Prologic. “It was really simple to connect the new software to our existing systems. Eurostop’s APIs are really easy to use and well supported.” said Simon. The Result – FatFace…Washed in Happiness FatFace opened their new US stores within timescales and are now trading successfully in the US with a POS solution which has the longevity to support them through potential expansion. They have accurate stock inventory across their global trading locations, and an intuitive POS solution, which gives the FatFace staff more time for engaging with their US customers and sharing the FatFace passion for their clothes. The new tills also provide additional benefits, such as being able to receive deliveries that are despatched from the UK DC Hub. US stores use Eurostop’s e-pos touch on the fixed tills and are also able to run the software on fully portable tablets which provide a roving check-out and stock queries facility. The mobile tablet is ideal for the FatFace store environment where the personal shopping experience is a high profile element of the service. “What we appreciated was the flexibility and personal approach with which Eurostop work. They really are willing to go the extra mile to get things done in every sense” said Simon. Eurostop’s system is used in 30 countries worldwide, at 35,000 locations, and has been specifically designed to cater for many variations of global pricing, and local sales tax by city, area, state and country. The system can also handle fiscalisation, a requirement for many countries in Europe. For UK retailers looking to expand internationally, it is important to work with an IT partner who understands the local requirements and culture. If you are interested in international expansion, contact us to speak to a retail expert. Company Background FatFace is a lifestyle clothing brand known for its wide range of high quality and affordable clothing, footwear and accessories for family-orientated women and men who are attracted by an active, casual outdoor lifestyle. The company has grown from its early beginnings in 1988 to today’s 200 strong retail stores that are the mainstay of market towns, shopping centres, travel hubs and holiday destinations across the UK and Ireland.
Base Clothing wins with seamless multichannel customer service
“Eurostop has made replenishment and fulfilment seamless. The automatic requests save us so much time, we can share stock easily across the warehouse and stores, and fulfil customer orders much faster. The resulting commercial success with our multichannel business is one of the key reasons why we won Drapers Independent Award.” Marc Granditer, Managing Director, Base Fashion Central stock visibility with connected fulfilment makes selling across stores and online channels easy Maximising available stock from the warehouse and the stores Enables scaling up of the business, without taking on extra staff The Challenge Base Fashion launched its new e-commerce site in 2015 to meet the growing demand for its ranges from customers who wished to shop online, as well as in its five stores based in Essex and London’s Westfield Shopping centres. Base wanted to streamline its multichannel operations and automate the fulfilment of online orders using stock from its stores as well as its warehouse, which was at the time proving to be time-consuming and labour intensive. Staff had to check stock availability across the stores by email and wait for replies before arranging the despatch of the items. “We are a relatively small business and don’t have dedicated stock for our online customer orders. Having Eurostop connected systems is now integral to how we work to fulfil customer orders and we can scale up the business easily as we grow.” The Solution With existing experience of Eurostop systems, Base decided to invest in the e-fulfilment module which uses built in algorithms to intelligently source stock from multiple locations. The fulfilment system connects Base’s e-commerce site with the head office stock control software and in store tills to notify relevant staff of new orders, sets up inter branch transfers, maintains audit of stock movements and controls despatch of online orders. This means that inventory is up-to-date at all times, with minimal work. “Eurostop is a very thorough system, easy to use, with excellent support and the training is very good. When you have a partner like Eurostop, who understands and provides systems to support all aspects of retail – epos, fulfilment and sales reporting – you know you are in safe hands.” The Result Automating fulfilment with connected systems enables Base to fulfil orders quickly, keeping customers happy with faster delivery. The flexible and intelligent order sourcing with bulk picking options, allows them to keep up with online orders using both warehouse and store stock. Stock accuracy also ensures that overselling is a thing of the past. Head office staff have a holistic view of stock across the business, while the warehouse is freed up from the process of responding to requests and checking availability of items with the stores manually. Future plans include the introduction of e-receipts, which will improve the customer experience even further, with seamless ordering, acknowledgement and payment confirmation, all online. Following the success of the implementation, Base Childrenswear has won Drapers Independent Award “Best Independent Multichannel Operator” for commercial excellence across its physical shops and the transactional website. “Our online business is growing and we wanted synergy between the stores and our online business. We needed a system that was efficient, not labour intensive. Eurostop’s connected retail systems are integral to the way we work. They have enabled us to deliver a connected customer service as a multichannel retailer, enabling us to significantly grow our business.” More about Base Fashion Base is the UK’s leading retailer of designer kids clothing for boys and girls from 0-16 years. Base carries a select range of international kid’s fashion brands including Armani Junior, Polo Ralph Lauren, Moncler, Gucci, Young Versace and Stone Island Junior, as well as designer infant wear labels for baby boys and girls up to 36 months. Base has five stores located in London’s Westfield Shopping centre and Stratford City, Romford and Basildon in Essex and Bluewater Shopping centre in Kent. Established in 1910 as a small tailoring shop Granditer’s Menswear’ in the Canning Town area of East London by newly-arrived immigrant Morris Granditer. It remains a family business today with its current owner and Managing Director Marc Granditer, the great grandson of the original founder.
Northern Ireland jeweller Argento chooses retail systems from Eurostop to support aggressive expansion plans
New retail systems provide improved stock management across fashion jeweller’s retail stores. Argento is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading fashion jewellers. The company sources jewellery globally and sells items from designers including; Pandora, Pilgrim, Hot Diamonds, Charmed, Jackie Brazil, Thomas Sabo and Karma Jewellery. All Argento products are hand chosen, from silver to costume jewellery, with an extensive collection of amber and natural stones. Chief Executive Peter Boyle opened the first Argento store in 1997. Today the company has 50 outlets nationwide (including Pandora) – 24 in Northern Ireland, 11 in the UK, 12 in Scotland and 3 in the Republic of Ireland, with its Head office in Belfast. It also has two websites displaying its full range of jewellery, one for the UK and one for Europe. IT investment supports rapid expansion The rapid expansion that Argento has seen over the last five years has necessitated a significant investment in its retail operations and warehouse management systems. The retailer has installed Eurostop’s e‑rmis in its head office in Belfast, Ireland, with Eurostop’s e‑pos used across all of its retail outlets in the UK and Ireland. The e-rmis head office solution is central to the retailer’s IT operations and is linked to the sales tills in store, the two websites and its efficient, state of the art warehouse storage system provided by Hanel. Argento has implemented e-pos with integrated chip and PIN, in all stores to capture sales. Linked to e-rmis, this ensures all customer details and transactions are recorded. Customer purchases made online from both the company’s websites are also fulfilled from the central warehouse, linked to the head office system. Efficient management of stock improves cash flow Keeping a tight control on stock is vital for the company’s cash flow, which was a key driver for the company to invest in integrated systems. e-rmis is connected to the company’s Sage accounting system, enabling all transactions and sales to be tracked and accounted for. The Hanel Storage System, the Rotomat, is used mainly to store Argento’s two biggest brands; Pandora and Thomas Sabo. When full, the Rotomat contains stock to the value of roughly £1million cost, however, one full box within the Rotomat could retail for £10,000 on its own. Eurostop’s stock management software, combined with this efficient storage system, gives the company more visibility and control over stock, enabling picking lists to be created accurately for stores and customers. Additionally the central auto-replenish features and reporting within e-rmis enables the company to better control stock levels, reducing the need to have large amounts of capital tied up in jewellery. Keeping customers loyal An important part of Argento’s business model is customer loyalty, which means it is vital that it captures customer details at point of sale and uses the data to tailor customer promotions and marketing programmes. The company has invested in Eurostop’s customer loyalty module, which includes postcode software, enabling it to create specific promotions for geographic areas that can be redeemed in store, helping to increase footfall.
Help for Heroes Trading grows with Eurostop e-rmis
Integration capabilities are key for new Debenhams concessions Help for Heroes Trading Limited is the retail arm of the Help for Heroes charity. The company produces, stocks and sells branded Help for Heroes products in its own shops and, more recently, through concessions at a number of Debenhams locations throughout the UK. Its growing stock of over 350 lines includes ranges of clothing for men, women and children, wristbands, kitchenware, toys and accessories. Help for Heroes Trading also produces and sells a full range of Help for Heroes Christmas cards and gifts. The Help for Heroes stores, which are run by a combination of salaried retail staff and passionate volunteers, aim to raise money as well as increase awareness about the charity across the UK. Robust retail management systems support growth Help for Heroes Trading implemented Eurostop’s retail management solutions in 2013 to support its online and physical store growth. At that time, the company needed to ensure that it had robust systems that would deliver business efficiencies and set them up for growth. This they have achieved with the help of Eurostop’s e-pos, e-rmis and e-cubes solutions. Instant, accurate sales and stock information deliver benefits “The Eurostop system supports a fully functional retail operation,” says Helen Beebe, Managing Director of Help for Heroes Trading. “We’ve seen tangible benefits, especially with the e-rmis and warehouse management system, which has significantly improved the level of our sales and stock information.” Integration is key to better business decisions Eurostop’s e-rmis solution integrates directly with the company’s finance, e-commerce and warehouse management systems, which, according to Helen, has put them in a much stronger position than previously and has given them essential visibility across the sales and stock arena. This, she believes, has been pivotal in supporting better business decisions, informed buying decisions and in planning promotions and merchandising. “The Eurostop solution is informing our trading decisions,” says Helen. “For example, with better information about our sales and stock position, we can decide how we may want to present our merchandise differently. With real time information we are able to react to fast sellers – which we couldn’t do previously as sales and stock information did not come from the same place. Now we can make those decisions instantly supported by information from one source.” Third party integration supports move into Debenhams More recently, Help for Heroes Trading has moved into a new area of business, opening three concessions at the busy Debenhams department stores in Southampton, Basildon and Gloucester. The Eurostop software integrates with Debenhams’ in-house system making trading much easier. Product, stock and pricing information is uploaded directly to the Debenhams system and presented as available items in the Debenhams in-house POS software. Sales are rung through the Debenhams till-points in store and sales data is sent back to the Help for Heroes e-rmis system in a two way integration that ensures data integrity across both wholly owned stores and concessions. Support for further growth “In addition to the concessions, we are still working to increase our own store portfolio.” Adds Helen. “It’s great to know that we have the systems in place that will enable us to grow into new areas as opportunities arise.”
Award winning, premium fashion retailer Jules B invests in Eurostop solutions to support customer service ethos
Seamless transparent fulfilment across stores and warehouse ensures responsive customer service for online orders Jules B has been dressing stylish men and women for over 25 years. Since opening their first store in Jesmond just outside the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne in1984, husband and wife team Julian and Rhona Blades have opened more stores in the North East of England, North Yorkshire and Kendal in the picturesque Lake District. All of the stores have become prestigious shopping destinations, catering for an elite clientele of fashion devotees and stock an impressive collection from world renowned designers including Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, M Missoni, Helmut Lang & Alexander Wang. The complete range under one virtual roof Awarded Drapers Magazine coveted title of ‘Best Independent Fashion Store’ an impressive four times, the retailer continues to succeed where others have failed. Jules B’s early investment in its website, when many fashion retailers were hesitating to move forward with e-commerce, has underpinned the success of the business. IT investment is core to the company’s business and it has recently invested in a fully integrated stock management and head office solution from Eurostop to support its sales operations in store and online. Customers can now find the complete range of designer clothing and accessories brands from all its stores under one virtual roof, with deliveries made across the globe including the UK, Europe and North America. A customer service ethos – in store and online At the heart of the Jules B ethos is attention to detail and customer service – from brand selection, to store interiors and the online shopping experience. Tom Jeffrey, Head of E-commerce at Jules B explains; “At Jules B we believe that the experience of purchasing online should be as enjoyable and indulgent as shopping in one of our stores. Every query is a priority to us and a member of our team is always at the other end of the phone to assist customers in any way we can. Our investment in Eurostop’s system enables us to track orders and know exactly what point the order has reached, which in turn enables us to provide a seamless customer service, just as if in the stores themselves.” Seamless e-fulfilment underpins success Eurostop’s e-fulfilment module underpins the success of the stock management for Jules B and enables the retailer to manage where the stock is obtained to fulfil online customer orders. The system decides if the order is fulfilled either from the branch stock or warehouse based on different criteria set at Head Office. Jules B benefits from having a view of its live stock position in the warehouse and shops to efficiently fulfil web orders and optimise stock turnover. The system prioritises each e-commerce order as it arrives, and either auto generates picks for the warehouse if it finds the stock in the warehouse or elects to take the stock from the stores. If the store is chosen, the system automatically alerts the store e-pos touch system that it has the items requested in stock so that e-commerce orders are prioritised. Tom Jeffrey explains; “There are two key elements to the way we use the Eurostop system that has really helped us to manage stock efficiently across all channels. The first is fully automated fulfilment across the business enabling web orders to be automatically sourced from the most stock rich locations. It takes into account the consolidation of goods ensuring that orders are all dispatched from one branch. “Additionally, if an internet order comes in that the warehouse cannot fulfil but a store can, the system automatically sends a fulfilment plan to that store. It takes into account branches local to our warehouse thus enabling us to move stock seamlessly to the warehouse to be dispatched. As well as helping us to streamline stock management it’s a totally transparent system that enables us to provide a better service to our customers.” Automating the fulfilment process has also enabled Jules B to move staff from working on ‘virtual tills’ and train them to take on other roles within the company, improving both morale and increasing opportunities for staff development. Return on investment “As the reputation of Jules B grew and consequently our online business flourished, so we needed a fully integrated system to manage all our sales and stock to run the business. Simply taking on more staff to manage fulfilment was not sustainable. Scanning items and automating processes is a much more efficient way to work – it eliminates the monotonous tasks, reduces human error and provides much greater job satisfaction. Through staff redeployment and development we estimate that our return on investment will be met easily within two years,” said Jeffrey. Jules B has also invested in powerful reporting to support its buyers. As well as providing the standard information – margin, sales by style, size, colour, location, Eurostop’s e-cubes reporting enables much more detailed analysis, for example, calculating sell through over time. It also enables them to analyse information like purchase orders outstanding, which enables more efficient stock management. Tom Jeffrey concludes; “The great thing about choosing Eurostop is that we can grow our business with them. As we use the software, so we have fed back development ideas to help improve the system. Eurostop really understands the retail challenges and we can work with them to fix any issues and make the system even better for our business and ultimately our customer experience.”
Orelia unique jewellery brand expands into US with Eurostop systems
British costume jewellery designer leads market supplying UK retailers and high profile Topshop concessions in USA. Orelia, a British jewellery brand founded in 2007, creates affordable costume jewellery, focusing on pieces that are classic, trendy and stylish. Most of the jewellery is made from Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones and charms. The Orelia designers travel far and wide to gather inspiration and every season they focus on themes for their jewellery launching several new collections. In recent years Orelia has taken the market by storm and is available in boutiques, department, fashion and lifestyle stores across the world, as well as major UK retailers; John Lewis, ASOS, Fenwick, Bentalls and has concessions in Topshop. The company has also just launched its first Topshop concessions in the US in high profile stores in Chicago, Los Angeles and in Broadway and 5th Avenue in New York. Flexible solution for a growing business Originally founded in Islington, London, following its exponential growth the company relocated its head office and distribution centre to a larger site in Brighton. As well as investing in premises, Orelia has ensured that its IT systems are able to meet the growing business needs. To support its unusual business model the company took the decision to implement Eurostop’s retail management solution e-rmis to support its wholesale and retail operations. According to Rebecca Jerrod, e-Commerce Coordinator at Orelia; “We chose Eurostop management systems to support our rapidly expanding business. We wanted to have a system that could accommodate our two business models – our new concession model with Topshop and the wholesale operation that supplies all our retailers – as well as meet the needs of our new growing merchandising team.” “Eurostop provided us with a hosted system that gives us the flexibility for both of our business models, for our central stock management system that our team of buyers can use and to support future growth. The versatility was key for us.” Supporting wholesale and retail operations with one system At the time that Orelia selected Eurostop it had been operating under a traditional retail model. When the business chose to supply its unique jewellery wholesale to major retailers worldwide, as well as begin the new Topshop concessions, it was a catalyst to review its IT systems. One of the key criteria for Orelia was to select a system that was easy to use for all staff. The team chose Eurostop systems as they have been designed with a user interface that is intuitive and straightforward for non-technical users, minimising training required. Currently the system is used by everyone at Orelia – except the jewellery designers – including the buying team and all staff in the warehouse and retail operations. It is also used by the e-commerce team – although not yet integrated with the e‑commerce system, there are plans to do so. A multi-currency system to support a global business Orelia also chose to have the e-rmis solution hosted on Eurostop servers, allowing for future growth and with an increasingly global business, the ability to access the information from any location. “We upgraded to the latest version of Eurostop’s system and to the hosted version just before Christmas,” explained Rebecca. “We launched our concessions into the US Topshop stores at the same time which is a huge growth area for our business. Eurostop’s hosted version gives us the assurance that it can support the expanding business and handle the different currencies as we are increasingly operating in different countries.” Daily sales data for efficient stock management Currently sales data is downloaded daily directly from Topshop’s systems via a secure portal into e-rmis, enabling the Orelia team to gain the latest insights on best-selling lines and popular items. Stock supplies and distribution for the wholesale business are managed by the Orelia team using e-rmis. Regular reports of stock movements ensure that replenishment is fulfilled for Orelia’s retail customers. A full audit trail is provided for all stock, essential for Orelia with so many different lines and customers, helping to ensure that all stock is accounted for as it enters and leaves the warehouse, helping to minimise shrinkage and loss. Reports drawn from e-rmis are also used by the team to provide updates and business reviews to the Orelia directors. Orelia is planning to deploy Eurostop’s auto-replenishment module in future, which will streamline operations even further. “The great thing about Eurostop’s systems is that they can grow with the business needs. We can adapt them easily and use all the functions available to us,” said Rebecca. Since the recent upgrade Orelia has planned some user training to learn more about the new features to ensure they get maximum benefit from the system. “Every department uses the system differently and it really underpins our business, enabling us to expand into overseas markets. So it’s a really good to keep up to date and an opportunity for a refresh enables us to see what more we can do. Plus the training at Eurostop is brilliant,” concluded Rebecca.
Gaynor Sports invests in Eurostop’s retail management systems
‘Mecca’ for outdoor clothing in heart of Lake District uses Eurostop systems to manage sales of thousands of items daily in store and online. Based in Ambleside, Cumbria, in the heart of the Lake District, Gaynor Sports is a long established destination retailer for outdoor pursuits. A family run and owned business for over forty years, the store has grown to offer a comprehensive collection of outdoor brands including Berghaus, The North Face, Lowe Alpine, Haglofs, Montane, Mammut, Merrell, Zamblerlan Regatta, Sprayway, Craghoppers, and many more. The store offers an unparalleled choice and depth of product that rivals anywhere else in the UK, with knowledgeable staff on hand. Whether buying in store or online, the company prides itself on its customer service underpinned by efficient systems. IT investment is core to the company’s business and it has invested in a fully integrated head office, e-commerce and stock management solution from Eurostop to support its sales operations in store and online. Retail systems integral to the business According to Jamie Shepherd, Managing Director, at Gaynor Sports; “Everyone in the business uses the Eurostop systems – the warehouse team, Buyers, sales staff on the shop floor, customer call centre, accounts staff and purchasing. Before we only had two or three people using our stock systems, now it is core to our business. “At any one time we might have eighty people using the system. We take a lot of pride in having the right staff to talk to customers about our products to help them buy the right items. Making sure the customer is happy is important to us which is why having the right systems to support staff is integral to the business.” Gaynor Sports has installed e-pos on tills across the different store departments and uses e-rmis and the e-fulfilment module for stock management across the store and the e-commerce site. In addition, Eurostop built and hosts the retailer’s e-commerce site which is based on its responsive e-commerce platform that adapts to suit the device being used. For example, a user accessing the site on a tablet will see the site optimised to display well on a tablet, with columns that scroll down rather than across, and easier menu navigation. Gaynor Sports recently went live with a new refresh of its website where Eurostop worked very closely with the retailer to ensure that brand guidelines and company ethos were portrayed in the design, while delivering the power required to manage thousands of orders each day. Streamlined stock management The store is busy all year round, the summer with visitors to the ‘mecca’ of the outdoor world, while online the peak business for outdoor clothing starts in October and runs through to February. The store itself is spread over five vast floors with departments displaying walking shoes (over 700 pairs), walking boots (more than 1400 pairs), clothing, waterproofs, camping and a clearance outlet offering significant discounts. With tens of thousands of items being sold both on the shop floor and through the website in a week, managing the stock is central to the business. At busy times the store can have as many as 30 staff helping customers the shop floor, while the warehouse is processing and shipping thousands of items daily. Optimising stock turnover Eurostop’s e-fulfilment module underpins the success of the stock management to respond to sales orders online. The system prioritises each e-commerce order as it arrives and either auto generates picks for the warehouse if it finds the stock in the warehouse or elects to take the stock from the store. If the store is chosen, the system automatically alerts the store e-pos system that it has the items requested in stock so that e-commerce orders are prioritised and the stock is despatched. “We now physically scan every item in and out of the warehouse in boxes. It is perfect – we know exactly what we have got so the accuracy is vastly improved. “We use the Eurostop system for replenishing stock in store, reordering and forecasting. The reports are really easy to use and Eurostop has customised some for us. It’s great to have that information so easily to hand – we can see popular lines, where we are against last year and what we have sold – all the information we need to run the business,” said Jamie. Easy to use and to train to staff The ease with which staff can use the system makes a significant difference to Gaynor Sports’ business. In busy times, the retailer can take on additional staff to meet demand. “We can easily scale up with extra staff – they can be trained within a couple of hours and can be effective in a vital part of the business with out delay,” said Jamie. Above all it is Eurostop’s partnership approach that makes the difference to Gaynor Sports. “The support guys are brilliant and give us confidence that when things do go wrong, which they do in real life, they work with us to get back up and running quickly and with the minimum of fuss. They will always listen and work with us to find the answer and things get sorted. They really understand and know our business and act as a true partner,” said Jamie.