The supermarket chain Intermarché is expanding its business in Poland with the support of a comprehensive JDA Category Management solution.
CUSTOMER PROFILE
Intermarché is a chain of supermarkets owned by independent Polish entrepreneurs and belonging to the Musketeers Group. Currently the Musketeers Group has stores in four European countries. The first Polish store was opened in Zielona Góra in 1997. The Musketeers Group operates in all voivodeships. There are over 230 shops in Poland. Most supermarkets are located in the western and southern parts of Poland. However, the number of stores is constantly increasing, especially in eastern Poland. Intermarché is one of the largest franchise chains in Poland, being one of the top supermarkets by revenue. With a sales space from 400 to 2 800 m2, Intermarché offers its customers up to 25 000 food and non-food (depending on size, these are Intermarché Contact or Intermarché Super).
Intermarché specializes in fresh products such as fruits and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, meat. Stores belonging to this chain have also their own bakeries, smokehouses and butcheries, so that customers can purchase traditional products, produced on the spot according to the Polish recipes. The network also offers ecological and bio products and about 2000 own brand products of equal quality to the leading brands, priced at a more competitive level.
The Musketeers Group continues the strategy of building petrol stations near the Intermarché stores. There are now 62 petrol stations in Poland, with the majority located in close proximity to chosen supermarkets.
Additionally, Intermarché store owners are active in their local communities, e.g., through actions organized by the Musketeers Foundation.
CHALLENGE
The right assortment, at the right time, in the right place and in the right quantity is the key to success for supermarket chains in today’s ever-changing and customer-focused global market. The implementation of this goal is not possible without the tools that will provide the desired results. Intermarché needs a system that would enable efficient management of the assortment and shelf and maximizing the benefits of the available retail space. Additionally, the new system is supposed to support internal merchandising standards, as well as enable automation and standardization of supermarket work processes.
ASSUMPTIONS
Implementation of key JDA Category Management components in a configuration supporting assortment and space management processes.
APPLICATIONS
- JDA Intactix Knowledge Base
- JDA Space Planning
- JDA Floor Planning
- JDA Web Publisher
SOLUTION
The first step was Intermarché’s comprehensive analysis of the software available on the Polish market to check which of them meet all requirements. It was then decided to implement JDA applications provided by Strategix, a recognized provider of integrated solutions supporting Category Management processes. Strategix was involved in implementing the solution as the company has successfully delivered similar projects for well-known retail chains, which made Strategix an experienced, qualified and reliable business partner.
The components of JDA Category Management were implemented and business process was defined and thereafter consistently implemented. Initially the process was supported by the Strategix consultants and in the next steps it was taken over by Intermarché category management specialists. Defined business processes were gradually implemented for the remaining categories in store.
The following JDA Category Management components were implemented: JDA Space Planning – a tool for shelf space planning and optimization, JDA Floor Planning – a tool for store space management, JDA Category Knowledge Base – the central database and integration platform, JDA Web Publisher – publishing system and communicating platform.
JDA Space Planning enables users to create detailed and optimized planograms for each store. JDA Floor Planning enables users to manage the sales space at macro level effectively and easily. Due to integration of these two tools and connection to the central ERP system users have automatic access to the data needed to create floorplans and planograms. With the life cycles of planograms and floorplans available in the JDA Category Knowledge Base, stores receive real-time assortment and layout changes, and the history of these changes can be retained to analyze their effectiveness.
JDA Web Publisher provides automatic distribution of planograms and floorplans created or changed in the HQ. Each person taking part in the assortment and space management process receives the necessary information specifically adapted to his functions. Additionally, this solution provides feedback on the planogram implementation in stores.
RESULTS
“The solution implemented by Strategix has provided effective support for assortment and space management processes for the typical assortment, as well as for more complex ones such as vegetables and fruits, textiles, promotional and seasonal zones, etc. The implementation of JDA solutions has enabled us to coordinate the work of many departments including the Category Management Department, Department of Retail Concept and many promotion and marketing processes. Considering the huge range of our retail space (from several hundred to over 2,500 m²), it is crucial to have flexibility when managing the assortment, which is easy to conduct due to the possibility to connect products with planograms and floorplans. The right product in the right place is just the beginning of the whole process. It is also important that the use of JDA tools not only allows us to optimize the assortment and its display, but also to improve the sales space efficiency and availability of products in our stores. Moreover, we can monitor the results of introduced changes on a regular basis. We have noticed that implemented solutions is bringing quantifiable benefits, i.e. double-digit growth.” Roman Szymanda, Category Management Manager, Intermarché.
The implementation of the JDA Category Management Solution was finished in 2013. Intermarché continues to actively use the system to this day, utilizing it in its everyday business processes. This has a direct effect on the assortment, placement, stock and performance in the chain’s stores. The benefits of the implementation are:
- effective assortment and space management using the comprehensive and integrated JDA Category Management solution,
- automation of daily tasks,
- support during the opening of new stores,
- more effective shelf inventory planning,
- maximizing sales space efficiency,
- financial results directly influenced by optimizing the stores and categories