Successful fashion brand CHARLES & KEITH builds and grows with the support of Eurostop solutions
Successful international fashion brand CHARLES & KEITH has over 350 stores worldwide, through which they bring trends to fashion-forward consumers. Initially founded as a ladies footwear brand, CHARLES & KEITH has since grown to include bags and accessories including belts, sunglasses, bracelets and tech accessories to their product line-up. Its brand of fast fashion and contemporary wear has garnered the brand an international following. Choosing an ePOS solution for China and beyond Following their successful expansion into Indonesia in 1998, for CHARLES & KEITH the natural next step was a move into the fast growing Chinese market, which it set about doing in 2010. To support this move, the company needed to set up operations and consider the specific language and denominational requirements of the region across its EPOS and back end systems. It was at this point that the company began evaluating the EPOS market. With a very specific set of requirements linked to the fashion sector, the Chinese market and across borders and locations, this international business undertook a comprehensive EPOS market review and selection process, from which they chose Eurostop. A good functional fit enables fast roll out “Eurostop was the obvious choice for us,” explains Charles Wong “Not only is the company a specialist in the fashion and footwear industry, but they also met our business functionality needs as standard. The software is available in English and Chinese, which made it far easier and quicker to install, educate and roll it out. We got our head office and store level teams up and running really quickly.” Today, CHARLES & KEITH are using the Eurostop e-pos, e-retail and e-cubes functional modules across its head office and more than 90 stores in China, rolling out the system on the first day of trading in the first store, which opened in Shanghai, China in April 2010. Efficient stock controls and powerful reporting enables smart buying The head office team use Eurostop’s e-retail module to effectively manage all aspects of stock control; identifying where stock is and moving it to stores to replenish stocks based on CHARLES & KEITH’s preset stock minimum /maximum parameters. This has reduced their manual workload dramatically, which in turn has delivered a cost saving. The company, which adds 20 – 30 new lines across its concept stores each week, also uses sales data reporting tool e-cubes to identify which products or product mixes are the hot sellers in different stores. This then enables the marketing and merchandising teams to create promotions and maximise sales across the company’s stores. “Eurostop e-cubes is incredibly useful,” says Charles. “It is giving us a lot of flexibility to analyse our data in all dimensions.” Ease of use in-store At store level, all cashiers, store managers and sales teams are using Eurostop’s e-pos system to record and access sales data. “We like the e-pos system because it is so user friendly. It has significantly reduced our store training time,” says Charles. A supportive relationship Understanding that moving into new geographies, cultures, languages and operating environments is a challenging and intensive process, the Eurostop team has worked closely with CHARLES & KEITH on the roll-out of the system. An open approach between customer and supplier during this business critical time and through their rapid growth since opening their first store in 2010 has been vital and beneficial to both CHARES & KEITH and to Eurostop. “Eurostop has given us very good support and high level of services,” adds Charles. “The team are very professional and patient and they are always available to take care of us. We are very happy and satisfied with Eurostop and pleased that we chose to work with them here in China.” For CHARLES & KEITH, more growth is on the horizon. The brand already has more than 350 stores worldwide, including opening their doors at Japan’s Harajuku district and Macau’s The Venetian in 2013; a location which is also using the Eurostop e-pos solution. In its home ground of Singapore, the company celebrated the opening of their concept shop along the prominent stretch of luxury shopping along Orchard Road, at Takashimaya Ngee Ann City. “We are looking forward to continuing our successful relationship with this premium brand in Asia and hope to be able to support them in further new territories as they open,” says Hew Poh Yin, Managing Director for Eurostop operations in Asia. “We’ve certainly enjoyed being a part of their success so far.”
Classic men’s clothing retailer, Roderick Charles, measures up to customers’ demands with Eurostop retail systems
Quality bespoke gentleman’s outfitters relies on specialist merchandising systems across it’s retail chain and website. Founded in 1992, Roderick Charles is a retailer of classic men’s tailoring. Since the early days the independent retailer has expanded to nine standalone outlets located throughout the City of London, the West End and Battersea and also offers mail order via its website for customers around the UK. From its roots in bespoke tailoring, Roderick Charles offers a full ready to wear collection with an emphasis on traditional styling and the use of hard wearing British milled cloths. The retailer caters for the best traditions of English dress rather than following trend led fashion. Managing expansion The company’s clothing range has evolved to encompass the latest modern cloth and garment production, including high twist travel cloths. Managing such a wide range of stock is challenging for any retailer, but in particular one with a network of stores. From the early days, Roderick Charles invested in Eurostop retail systems to ensure stocks are monitored and replenished across its London outlets as well as meeting demand from its website. Anthony McIlroy, of Roderick Charles said; “We offer a choice of over a thousand cloths to customers, which is a significant capital investment and so it is important that we maximise the turnover of our stock. “Eurostop’s systems help us to keep track of and manage our stock efficiently. We originally selected Eurostop as we felt they were a proven supplier in the retail business and the software was right for a clothing retailer like ourselves. Over the years we have expanded the number of stores, with Eurostop systems providing the software for our retail store network.” Systems made to measure Roderick Charles’ business provides off the peg suits, jackets and shirts as well as a bespoke suit service, where customers can choose from the many samples of cloth. Roderick Charles has implemented both Eurostop’s e-pos for the shops and e-rmis at its head office. As well as capturing daily sales in store, the system is also used by the warehouse team to replenish and re-order stock across its stores. Although not tied to the highs and lows of seasons and fashions as many clothes retailers, it is still important for the company to monitor sales of different lines, whether particular shirt styles, suit colours or accessories. Seasonal changes and particular holiday periods often result in increased sales of lines – for example, wallets and scarves at Christmas and wash bags during the summer period. “Eurostop’s retail systems help us to keep our finger on the pulse of the business. Although we don’t have to react as swiftly as a fashion retailer to changes in demand, we do monitor our daily sales very closely with reports from e-rmis, our head office system. Both myself and my head buyer are able to check which particular styles, cloths and colours are more popular and use the information to predict our future sales and stock requirements,” said McIlroy. Cutting edge solution for bespoke suits The success of Roderick Charles’ business is reliant upon accurate forecasts that help to ensure the right orders are placed. The retailer does not rely upon wholesalers who have large pools of stock upon which to draw – instead each buying decision must be carefully made since stock is made to order. “We place orders with our British manufacturing suppliers, which means we have to be sure that we are ordering the right items and the right cloths that will sell. Our lead times are quite long as we don’t obtain stock from wholesalers, so it’s really important that we have accurate sales data upon which to base our decisions,” explained McIlroy. “Traditional, quality clothing continues to rise in popularity, as many people are turning away from the short wear fashion items in favour of well made, long lasting classics. With Eurostop systems in place our business has continued to thrive and service customers even in these difficult times for retail,” said McIlroy.
Iconic British handbag brand empowers retail operations with Eurostop
Iconic British handbag brand empowers retail operations with Eurostop Founded in 2008, the Cambridge Satchel Company produces colourful handmade leather satchels, based on an original Oxford and Cambridge satchel design. Initially aimed at school children, the bags met unexpectedly high demand as a fashion accessory, and became a cult among twenty-something fashion bloggers. Following coverage by international fashion magazines and a collaboration with the fashion brand Comme des Garçons, production of the satchels increased dramatically, and since then the company has not looked back, now selling satchels into 110 different countries. Pop-up becomes Permanent Just before Christmas 2012, the Cambridge Satchel Company opened its first retail store, a pop-up in London’s Covent Garden. The operation was so successful that the company decided to continue the lease and make the store a permanent fixture. With this in mind the IT team at the company set about looking for a retail management system including EPOS, that would be suitable for a standalone shop with the scalability to support the operation as it continued to grow. Chloe King, IT Manager at Cambridge Satchel company commented; “Eurostop came highly recommended and has a good reputation within the fashion retail sector. When we looked at the system we found it compared very well against other systems on the market. Its comprehensive back office functionality makes it so much more than just an EPOS system – exactly what we were looking for in our new system.” Expansion Continues Cambridge Satchel Company has now opened its second store in Rose Crescent, Cambridge, which is also running the Eurostop software. A new pop-up store is scheduled to open in time for Christmas 2013 in Spital Fields, London, if this becomes a permanent store, it too will benefit from the Eurostop system. As well as using Eurostop’s e-pos, Cambridge Satchel Company is also using its head office solution, e-rmis. This manages stock, enabling the stores to draw down stock from the pre-allocated pool directly from the factory. Chloe King continues; “We were impressed by the wide range of reports that came with the Eurostop system. We can see instantly how products are performing, which styles, sizes and colours are most popular. Our finance department particularly likes the reports as they contain all the information they need and are easy to understand. Overall the Eurostop system enables us to take better and more informed business decisions. As we continue to expand our retail operations, so we will be using more and more of the Eurostop functionality.” Next on the agenda is introducing a new Givex gift card, which will be fully integrated with the Eurostop system.
Nevisport’s continued investment in Eurostop supports growing business
Leading outdoor and snow sports retailer relies on Eurostop’s retail management solution to promote transparency, accelerate stock control processes and aid forward-planning From a small store at the west end of the Fort William High Street, Nevisport has grown into one of the nation’s leading outdoor and snow sports specialty retailers with a head office in Glasgow. The company was set up by two rock climbers, lifelong friends and mountaineering partners who had become dissatisfied with the poor selection of climbing equipment they found in existing UK stores. Today, enthusiasts the world over know they can depend on Nevisport’s expert knowledge and excellent customer service as well as the right gear and accessories they need to truly enjoy the outdoors. Customers can buy some of the best brands for camping, outdoor clothing and equipment from Nevisport’s network of sales outlets in the UK, by mail order and via the company website. Proven retail experience Nevisport originally installed Eurostop’s retail management system in 2009, selecting Eurostop for its proven track record in supplying technology to the clothing and footwear retail market. It deployed Eurostop’s e-rmis suite of head office management applications for the main office in Glasgow and the e-pos solution at till points across all outlet stores in the North of England and Scotland to accurately manage sales and stock. The company also uses e-cubes, Eurostop’s data mining module that enables Nevisport to interrogate and report on sales and customer data. Continued investment in technology is critical to business success Eurostop has served Nevisport well over the past four years by creating a highly efficient mechanism for tracking the company’s growing number of brands as well as its increasing volume of sales quickly and accurately. According to Mike Benson, Merchandising and Stock Control Manager at Nevisport, “We always expected the Eurostop solution to bring significant benefits to our business with stock management and sales and we have not been let down.” Today, Eurostop supports Nevisport’s twelve sales outlets in the UK, including the original flagship store in Fort William and an outlet located in the heart of Nevis Range, Scotland’s newest ski area, a flourishing mail order business and the retailer’s recently improved company website. Nevisport uses the system to manage its stock control processes and merchandising including managing contract customer accounts such as local authorities or mountain rescue teams. At all times, head office has a complete view of how well different products are selling at different stores and can quickly move stock around to where it is needed most. At the store level, retail managers can see if an item they need is in stock and can order it in an instant. Transparency and integration are key Transparency is one of the biggest benefits of Eurostop as Mike Benson testifies, “By far the greatest advantage of Eurostop is its transparency. At a glance, we can see clearly where our stock is and report on our sales and margins in the most granular detail, by branch, by supplier and between specific dates. This makes it easy for us to establish which brands to focus on in the future and where to invest, giving us a powerful and strategic planning tool that will benefit our business long-term.” On a tactical level, Nevisport praises Eurostop for its ability to import details about new products and sales directly from files stored in the company’s central ordering database. Eurostop’s superior integration capabilities mean that Nevisport can quickly access and download information relating to customer orders at any time and in bulk. For example, Mike Benson’s team was recently looking to review the orders it had placed with suppliers for the coming Autumn/Winter collection and was able to import several hundred orders in a matter of minutes. Previously, before the automated Eurostop solution, staff would have had to key in every detail manually, a time-consuming and onerous process that often left information incomplete or out-of-date by the time the task was finished. Keeping customers loyal Phillip Moylan, Sales and Marketing Manager at Eurostop concluded, “Eurostop’s systems have been designed to streamline stock and sales management for retailers. Our experience of working with retailers, from small independents to large chains, in the specialist clothing and footwear industry, helps us understand the issues that they face on a daily basis. Keeping a tight control on stock movements, hot sellers and less popular lines is vital in these challenging times. By acting upon information that gives a clear indication of what the market wants, forward-thinking, dynamic retailers like Nevisport can demonstrably increase sales, boost customer loyalty and maintain profit margins.” http://www.nevisport.com
Overland Shoes continues to invest in Eurostop for pan-European urban footwear business
Premium G-Star RAW Footwear brand relies on Eurostop to integrate stock control and merchandising across Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Spain London-based G-Star RAW was first established in 1989 and quickly found fame for introducing ‘luxury denim for the streets’, fusing quality and functionality with cutting edge style to create an inspirational range of clothing for men and women. At the beginning of 2007, the company extended its denim fashion range to include the latest premium urban shoes and boots via licensee Overland Shoes. The footwear range displays G-Star’s unique technical craftsmanship with its unconventional approach to design. Proven retail expertise seals the deal When Overland Shoes began to retail G-Star’s new footwear range, it required a highly versatile solution that could easily be rolled out in different countries, was able to accommodate the language aspects of running a European operation and integrate seamlessly with the company’s STYLEman wholesale distribution system. After reviewing a multitude of retail systems, Overland Shoes named Eurostop as their preferred supplier, impressed by their excellent reputation in the marketplace as well as the vendor’s pan-European capabilities. They also liked the easy-to-use Windows-based interface provided by Eurostop’s portfolio of retail management solutions. According to Richard Thompson, Merchandise Manager of Overland Shoes, “We looked at a lot of retail systems but Eurostop’s proven and unrivalled expertise in the clothing and footwear market finally clinched the deal. They came highly recommended and their technology offered the flexibility and superior functionality we needed to handle the language aspects of running a truly pan-European business. This winning combination inspired us with confidence and we expected a quick return on investment.” Overland Shoes originally installed Eurostop’s e-rmis head office management and e-pos retail systems to handle stock inventory and capture sales of the newly launched G-Star RAW footwear at two stores in Holland and Germany. Eurostop integrated seamlessly with Overland’s wholesale and warehouse systems to ensure tight control of more than 400 styles and sizes from day one. Implementation grows with thriving business Since first deploying Eurostop, Overland Shoes has created a highly efficient mechanism for communicating between UK headquarters, including the finance department, and the growing number of outlet stores across mainland Europe. It effectively links the company’s STYLEman wholesale distribution system with the Eurostop retail system to track and replenish stock quickly and accurately. Today, the Eurostop solution covers six major outlet stores in Belgium, France, Holland and Spain with plans to support two more stores when they open next year and work alongside G-Star RAW’s footwear concessions in Germany sometime in the next 12 months. Automation drives efficient stock control Staff selling the G-Star RAw brand of footwear at Overland use Eurostop to keep track of stock levels at their respective outlet stores and order more stock, if necessary. When stock is received from the warehouse, they simply scan it and this automatically confirms to the warehouse that the order has been successfully delivered. Overland has even configured the Eurostop system to replenish stock automatically twice a week according to the agreed stock targets for each store. High visibility is vital to pan-European success Richard Thompson praises the transparency of the Eurostop system, adding, “At a glance, shop staff instantly see what they have and can order more whenever they want it keeping stock levels high and customers happy. At the same time, our central warehouse has a clear and complete picture of what needs to be shipped at any point in time across all parts of our European retail chain. In a short space of time, Eurostop has visibly tightened up our stock control processes and become vital to running our multi-national operation smoothly and professionally.” One-stop-shop offers powerful merchandising benefits One of the biggest benefits of using Eurostop is its ‘one-stop-shop’ approach enabling Overland to view, store and execute all stock control, inventory and replenishment information and activities from a single, integrated system. Most recently, Overland has purchased e-cubes, Eurostop’s data mining module to interrogate and report on sales and customer data at all six outlet stores, particularly valuable in an industry where preferences for footwear often vary from country to country. Richard Thompson continued, “The recent acquisition of e-cubes is a massive bonus. This innovative reporting product from Eurostop gives us the hard data we need to make informed commercial decisions. We know which lines are selling well at different stores and can quickly move stock around to meet the style demands of different cultures. Extremely easy to use, it also means we can quickly introduce carefully tailored promotions and special offers that help us boost sales and foster customer loyalty in a way that just wasn’t possible before Eurostop.” Keeping customers happy in every country Phillip Moylan, Sales and Marketing Manager at Eurostop concluded, “Successful retailers need to ensure that they have robust, secure systems that can support their businesses as they expand. Dynamic brands like G-Star RAW also need the latest information at their fingertips to spot the hot sellers and less popular lines and so give customers in different countries exactly what they want. Eurostop’s expertise is in understanding the challenges that international organisations face and deploying web-based technology that is easy to use, yet provides a fully automated, scalable retail management tool.”
Pazzion sets new trend in retail management using Eurostop
Singaporean ladies’ shoe designer invests in latest technology to support ambitious international growth plans Pazzion shoes are designed to marry sophisticated tastes with fashion trends. Each collection mirrors the latest looks, ensuring today’s modern woman keeps fashionably dressed every season at affordable prices. From classic pumps, strappy heels to stilettos, Pazzion offers a broad range of stylish yet comfortable footwear that is crafted from the softest calf leather and lambskin. In just twelve years, Pazzion has grown significantly. In Singapore, Pazzion’s home market, flagship stores are to be found at Wisma Atria and Marina Bay Sands while the company’s international presence includes countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. New technology leads the way As the company grew so did the requirement for a fully integrated retail management system. Pazzion conducted a thorough review of the marketplace, searching for an easy-to-use system that could simplify its increasingly complex retail environment, namely a diverse customer base, multiple languages as well as different countries and time zones. After evaluating several vendors, Pazzion selected Eurostop. According to the Merchandising Team at Pazzion, Eurostop matched the company’s requirements perfectly, providing a fully automated, highly intelligent system to facilitate stock control processes. Another deciding factor was Eurostop’s proven track record in the global clothing and footwear arena whilst their network of newly opened offices in Asia served to underline their dedicated support and commitment to the region. Single, integrated platform manages stock and merchandising end-to-end Pazzion has deployed Eurostop’s e-rmis for its head office system in Singapore and e‑pos to support stock control and merchandising across the company’s eight stores in Singapore. Located at Wisman Atria, Marina Square, Bugis Junction, Junction 8 Shopping Centre, Tampines Mall, Marina Bay Sands, Parkway Parade and JEM, these stores represent some of the island’s most prestigious retail destinations. Pazzion is using e-rmis to manage its stock more effectively and staff in the eight stores process all sales using e-pos at the tills. Both systems link seamlessly together to create a highly efficient retail management framework that boosts productivity and ultimately improves customer service. Meaningful statistics aid strategic decision-making and forward planning One of the greatest benefits of using Eurostop is the advanced reporting capabilities provided by the system. Eurostop captures accurate sales data which Pazzion can then translate into meaningful statistics that improve strategic decision-making and aid forward planning. Using sales data reports, the Merchandising Team can identify which products are the hot sellers and the product mixes that are successful in different stores – fundamental to Pazzion’s overall sales and marketing process. The information also helps Pazzion to deliver highly targeted and impactful promotional campaigns that actively drive new revenues across stores. On top of this, the sheer flexibility of Eurostop supports the company’s ability to extend its geographic footprint.
Erke Sports brand rolls out Eurostop systems in 7000 outlets across China in just 4 months
International sports apparel company rolls out retail IT systems countrywide. Erke is an international sports brand and part of the Chinese company HongXing Erke Group. The brand specialises in sports apparel and has sponsored major sports icons within the Chinese Olympic team. Erke was also the official kit sponsor for the Korea DPR national football team. Owned by China Hongxing Sports Limited, which is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, Erke’s products have won many awards and accolades across the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and are also available in Malaysia and in Europe. The company has recently rolled out Eurostop’s retail management and e-pos till systems in 7,000 outlets across PRC. The deal makes Erke Eurostop’s largest ever customer. Rapid rollout Eurostop worked closely with Erke to manage the rollout and integration of the systems with Erke’s IT infrastructure and management systems. Eurostop implemented its e-pos systems across 4500 stores and its newly designed web e-pos in a further 2500 stores in just four months. Erke is using e-retail, Eurostop’s retail management solution designed specifically for larger retailers, for its head office system. Erke, a large operator in the sports clothing retail sector, has experienced tremendous success and growth in the last few years. As it expanded, it has outgrown its management systems and needed a robust solution that could cope with the volume of stores. The speed of rollout was important to ensure that all the outlets were up and running quickly and to ensure smooth transition from the old system. The Eurostop team (comprising of a local team in China) worked closely with Erke to install e‑pos in their stores. Despite the stores having a variety of hardware, the Eurostop software was able to be rolled out remotely via a downloadable installation package with a built-in wizard. Tighter stock management The web e-pos software is used in the concessions on a variety of devices – laptops, iPads and other tablet PCs – to manage sales of stock, returns and transfers. The 4500 stores that have the e-pos installed at till points also have the customer loyalty modules, enabling them to identify customer purchase habits and create tailored promotions and offers to regular customers. Erke is the first company in China to have such a large number of physical till points in stores. Managing the transition For the implementation of e-retail Eurostop worked closely with the Erke global IT team. e‑retail is integrated with the organisation’s SAP systems and global database. The SAP enterprise system holds all the store information which feeds into the global database. Each of Erke’s 28 retail sub-companies have systems that are integrated with the global solution. The Eurostop team consulted with IBM, who are partners with SAP in China, to integrate e‑retail with the SAP solution. “The UK development and project team played a key part in the integration of e‑retail with Erke’s SAP system,” said Roy Meunier (Eurostop Overseas Support Manager). “Not only did we have to work closely with IBM and SAP, we also had to integrate with the previous retail system used at head office, before the transition to SAP.” A SAP Representative commented at a project meeting that the Erke-E68 Project had taken only 7 months to complete and that similar projects have taken much longer. The spokesperson went on to say that for Eurostop to roll out tills to over 6,000 stores in just 4 months is an incredible achievement and the results are simply outstanding. The scale of the rollout has required training to be implemented using a ‘train the trainer’ approach. Eurostop provided comprehensive training for the Erke global IT team on the installation process, who have gone on to share their knowledge with the IT specialists in each of the 28 sub-companies. Mr. Michael Li (Senior Project Manager for Eurostop Shanghai) is very impressed with Erke’s IT staff. According to Michael, they have been totally committed to the project. It made all the difference. Erke expects significant efficiencies through tighter stock management across its outlets and more accurate sales performance data through using the Eurostop systems. Mr. Lee (Project Manager for Erke) says “We now have one of the largest estates of tills in the whole of China. Not many companies can match the speed of our implementation. The success of the project has been down to teamwork and a great deal of effort from all parties concerned – IBM, SAP, and Eurostop”. Richard Loh, Managing Director of Eurostop said; “We are delighted with the speed and efficiency of the Erke rollout. It has been a pleasure to work with the team in China and clearly demonstrates Eurostop’s capabilities to handle very large installations. Ms. Hew Poh Yin, Managing Director of Eurostop Shanghai Limited has been the driving force in pushing the boundaries of Eurostop in China”.
Leading Labels maintains margins thanks to Eurostop’s retail management systems
Out-of-town, multi brand fashion retailer reaps benefits from investment in retail system across its 23 stores in the UK and Ireland, Leading Labels is one of the largest out-of-town, multi brand fashion retailers in the UK and Ireland, with over 20 well established outlets and over 250 dedicated employees. Its large modern stores range in size from 5000 to 11000 sq ft, selling a big selection of top quality brands in ladies and men’s clothing at ‘real’ value prices. Overseeing such a wide range of stock efficiently is vital to the success of the company’s business operations. Unlike many store groups with a centralised warehouse and stock system, stock is mainly delivered directly to Leading Labels’ stores. To manage sales and stock across its stores, the company has recently invested in Eurostop’s e-rmis retail system. Leading Labels has also implemented Eurostop’s e-pos in all its stores to track sales at the till, recording data at its head office. According to Mike Thornthwaite, Financial Director at Leading Labels; “It is critical for us that we have the right stock at the right place at the right time. Since implementing Eurostop’s system we have much better management of stock across our stores. We now have details from all our stores on one system which means that we have a complete picture. Previously with the two systems we spent a lot of time pulling the data together, which didn’t always give us a very accurate view.” Up to the minute, accurate sales data A key benefit of the Eurostop system is the ability to compare the reports from the e-rmis system with the accounts reports, matching up records of stock sold and stock remaining. The head office team is now able to analyse the data and by integrating the system with its Sage 100 accounts package, post daily sales figures to the accounts. “We are very comfortable with the integrity of the data,” said Thornthwaite. “We are finding that the data is marrying up between the sales and accounts systems well and we can calculate very accurately profit margins. It is a much more efficient way of working – posting the sales figures to accounts used to take us a day a week in man hours, now we spend only about a half day a month in time.” Reducing stock surplus and wastage Leading Labels also claims that communications between the stores and the office has been improved since using Eurostop’s system. In the past order information from the stores could go astray, with the wrong stock then being delivered, creating stock surplus and wastage. More accurate stock information also means less time is spend administering stock at the stores, freeing up staff to work on the shop floor. Another key area of Leading Label’s business is the floorspace that is occupied by concessions in some of its stores. Eurostop’s solution has enabled the company to handle till sales on behalf of some of its concessions. In terms of sales and stock replenishment this provides a much more accurate, up to the minute picture for both the concession and Leading Labels. “We have found that using a recognised solution in the retail marketplace has not only given us credibility in the sector, it has opened up new business opportunities for us,” said Thornthwaite. Meeting customer demand Being able to analyse the data has also allowed the team to advise the buyers on hot sellers – and stock that is slow to move. The buyers make extensive use of the reports on colours and sizes – the data is used to identify popular items and make adjustments to deliveries as boxes are made up for stock replenishment. Steve Wilkinson, Controller for menswear, buying and concessions at Leading Labels said; “The reliability of information from Eurostop is excellent. I can tweak orders to match demand – it reduces wastage and means that we sell more. We may deliver a large box to a particular store that can contain up to 24 or 30 items. If we have the right information on which sizes are selling, and in which colours, we can make sure that we make the box up to match that.” Wilkinson is also able to use the data to make informed business decisions. For example, analysing sell through figures on items against particular brands can highlight how well a certain brand is performing. A poor performer may mean an adjustment to the percentage of business that Leading Labels allocates to that particular brand. “With accurate data to hand I can look at the order and brand mix, and work out which ones make more business sense,” said Wilkinson. “Thanks to Eurostop I can make decisions with total confidence.” Building on success Leading Labels claims that it is reaping the benefits of its investment in Eurostop systems with the efficiencies gained through better sales management information. “We are very pleased with the system – it has definitely moved our business on significantly,” said Thornthwaite. “We have traded well over what has been a difficult six months for the retail sector. Eurostop’s system has enabled us to maintain our margins and we are now looking for ways to develop the system and get even more out of it.”
Nevisport Leading outdoor and snow sports retailer invests in Eurostop’s retail management solution
From one small store founded in Fort William High Street in 1970, Nevisport has grown into one of the nation’s leading outdoor and snow sports specialty retailers with eleven outlets nationwide, including Scotland’s newest ski area at Nevis Range. Nevisport stocks top brands of camping and outdoor clothing and equipment and has recently opened a new outlet in Kendal in the English Lake District. It is now one of the UK’s leading outdoor and snow sports specialty retailers and has installed Eurostop’s retail management system across all eleven of its sales outlets in the North of England and Scotland. Nevisport is using e-rmis for its head office management system and e-pos at till point in store to manage sales and stock. Proven retail experience Nevisport chose Eurostop for its proven experience of working in the clothing and footwear retail market. Eurostop’s solution is also used by sister company Trespass, the outdoor clothing specialist. Trespass’ parent company Jacobs and Turner Limited acquired Nevisport earlier this year. Tracking sales accurately According to Mike Benson, Merchandising and Stock Control Manager at Nevisport; “We expect the new Eurostop solution to bring significant benefits to our business with stock management and sales. We stock a wide range of brands and using Eurostop systems will enable us to track sales effectively. “Our staff have already familiarised themselves with the new systems and even in these early days we have already seen some improvements since implementing the solution in our stores.” Keeping customers loyal Nevisport is also using e-cubes, the data mining module that enables the company to interrogate and report on sales and customer data. Phillip Moylan, Sales and Marketing Manager at Eurostop said; “Eurostop’s systems have been designed to streamline stock and sales management for retailers. Our experience of working with retailers – from the small independents to large chains – helps us to understand the issues that they face on a daily basis. Keeping a tight control on stock movements, hot sellers and less popular lines is vital to maintain profit margins, ever more so in these challenging times.”
Ann Summers sees 4% increase in sales from using Eurostop’s Customer Counting solution
Ann Summers is one of the most successful privately held companies in the UK. It has over 7500 party plan sales people and over 135 stores in the UK and Europe. As a long term IT partner of Ann Summers, Eurostop has provided the company with retail solutions that provide a good return on investment. Eurostop’s e-pos solution is installed throughout the stores, with e-rmis Retail management solution at its head office. Successful investment in IT Following the success of the automated stock systems, the company has also invested in stock scanning and auditing as well a wireless warehouse picking system. The new system has increased efficiencies and reduced picking discrepancies considerably. Staff use scanners to pick stock which is recorded centrally and integrated with the head office systems. More recently Ann Summers has implemented Customer Counting Solutions from Eurostop. The footfall counter is located by the door of the stores and is linked to software in the tills. The results collected are fed directly into the head office system e-rmis, where the business intelligence data mining software interrogates the databases to provide management reports. The business intelligence module, specifically designed for merchandisers and senior management enables the sales data to be analysed in a number of ways. Every step counts “For us footfall is a key driver – we can monitor whether store traffic is up or down and work out what our sales conversions are from the transactions made,” explained the Corporate Projects and EPOS Executive at Ann Summers. The company has also installed a time and attendance system that enables it to monitor sales against members of staff, hours of the day, days of the week and compare branch performances across different regions. Being able to analyse the data down to this level of detail at store level enables the management to identify why store sales are up or down from average. Using the information from the reports that Eurostop’s solution supplies means that they can identify sales variations which may occur as a result of other factors rather than stock supply or weather. In the stores on the South Coast, for example, the company identified from footfall data that most customers shop earlier in the day and that the stores were quieter later than in other regions. By moving the opening hours for those stores earlier, sales were increased by over 4%. Maximising staffing instore Data from Eurostop’s solution also enables the team to look at the management of staffing in the stores. The company can work out staff cost ratio to sales and calculate true trading costs. Hourly sales data can be compared against the number of customers visiting the shop to ascertain whether by approaching customers more proactively this may increase sales. This may involve introducing more training on products or customer service skills both at the recruitment stage and with ongoing staff development. Introducing seasonal promotions Ann Summers has also implemented the Promotions and Gifts Accounts Module within Eurostop’s e-rmis and e-pos. The company is introducing promotions like ‘buy one get one free’, where the lowest priced item is free. Promotions can set up to be live for specific time periods on single or multiple items, or pick and mix promotions. The system automatically processes and applies discounts displaying the customer savings on the receipt, saving valuable time at the till and maximising trading margins as well as promoting “add on” sales. “Despite operating in a cut throat promotional market, where margins are very tight, having the right data at our fingertips and being able to process options at the till point means that we are still able to react quickly to customer demand and bring promotions to the customer,” said Patel. The company is also introducing serialised gift vouchers to customers in the run up to Christmas. Previously Ann Summers used printed vouchers, which were costly to print, track and redeem. If the vouchers were used for refunds, then there were restrictions on the values of the vouchers, such that cash amounts were often also included in refunds, which the customer does not always choose to spend in store and is potentially lost revenue. The vouchers enable the company to provide any cash denomination that may be used in store. The store manager scans the voucher and can immediately see the amount available for the customer to redeem. It is now easy for customers to redeem the value to any amount, which is much more flexible. Increased sales opportunities Overall Ann Summers is delighted with the benefits that Eurostop’s systems have brought to the business to date. The Corporate Projects and EPOS Executive at Ann Summers commented, “By targeting stores the company has increased sales by over 4%. However, for us it is not just about sales but operating a cost efficient business.” “It is about achieving the right balance of having the right stock and staff in place to match the customer needs – that is where Eurostop’s solutions really work for us.”