A store chain with sports equipment

• Founded in 2000
• 220 stores
• 300,000 products
• 600 brands

Lukáš Jagnešák  |  Head of Spacemanagement, Sportisimo

The cooperation between Sportisimo and Quant Retail began in 2017. What made you decide to look for a system for category management, planogram creation and space planning?

Retail store space management is already standard across the market, regardless of the industry in which the company operates. Sportisimo is not an exception, we expected easier management of stores and display of individual categories of goods with the introduction of the space management system. 

Why did you choose Quant?

Quant was chosen mainly due to its data support and the possibility of detailed analytics of individual segments, such as store layouts and the planograms themselves. Thanks to this, we can increase the efficiency of our stores. It is also due to the openness of the development team and the possibility to adapt or develop individual functionalities to Sportisimo’s needs.

“What I particularly appreciate about working with Quant Retail is their very flexible approach to problem solving. The product is being constantly and rapidly innovated and improved based on our mutual knowledge. Thanks to this we could start using planograms and automatic replacements also in fast fashion categories, where basically no one has tried this level of automation in the retail market before.”

Tomáš Borek  |  Commercial Director, Sportisimo

How was the system implemented and what were the first benefits?

The first challenge we faced was the actual digitalization of our store layouts. The goal was to transfer the layouts of all our stores into the Quant environment and then optimize the stores based on sales data. Quant helped us with this as well and developed a tool for us to import the technical plans. This tool made it possible to have store plans drawn within days rather than the expected months. Thanks to this, we were able to focus faster on the analytics of the space itself.

Subsequently, it was necessary to define the capacity of each category in our stores, giving our colleagues exact numbers at store level, which then helped them to allocate products and maintain optimal stock. This step was Sportisimo’s entry into the world of planograms. The first planograms were only managed at the level of DUMMY items (i.e. items that served only as a simulation of the space of a given product). Thanks to this, we were able to define the numbers of products for each category and thus refine the whole flow of goods.

However, you were not satisfied with the calculation of category capacities and dummy planograms, so we started to develop together a mechanism for automatic replacements of products in planograms. Why was such a solution necessary?

DUMMY planograms worked for us only as a tool for defining the required quantities for each category / store. Nevertheless, the whole system was still dependent on manual management of the flow of goods, which was not efficient for us. Therefore, we decided to introduce individual planograms gradually. To do this, it was necessary to think about the maximum automation of the whole process, not only the planograms but also the flow of products. It was crucial for us to develop automatic product replacements in the planograms. The main reason for this was the high product turnover at store level and it could not be maintained manually. This functionality makes the process as automated as possible and very efficient in terms of managing the flow of goods.

How has the described solution been deployed and what are the main benefits?

It is a very complex solution. By taking gradual steps, we have managed to include a large part of the categories that we manage at the stores in this process. The main benefit is mainly the automatic replenishment of individual stores according to actual sales and thus efficient inventory management.

Such a complex project overlaps several departments. Have you managed to set up the necessary procedures to make the collaboration work?

Of course, the whole process of space management and flow control has an impact on the whole company. The purchasing department, which as a result has much more accurate data for ordering products. The logistics department, which can manage the entire logistics process more efficiently, but also the operation of the stores, where the work with the assortment and its display is facilitated thanks to the planograms. Without the involvement of these parts of the company, this project would be basically “non-functional”.

How many users currently manage store layouts in Quant? How many times a year do you update the layouts?

Currently, three of our colleagues are working on the development of stores layouts, which is sufficient for us given the number of stores we have. Mainly thanks to the improvements we have managed to create together with Quant, the whole process is very efficient. Therefore, we can also afford to make six major changes in the assortment layouts of all Sportisimo stores per year, and to do the rebuilding and expansion.

How many users work on planogram creation?

A group of six colleagues are currently working on the planograms, not only drawing the planograms themselves, but also solving the construction of test planograms and communicating the conclusions with colleagues from the purchasing and operations departments. In this regard, our work is again facilitated by Quant, which offers the possibility of planogram management at the level of a group of stores.

Do you also use additional Quant modules such as Task Management or Forms for store checks?

We are gradually learning both functionalities and incorporating them into the whole process. We see the biggest benefit in Task Management, which allows us to easily communicate with stores on a specific topic, both from the Space management department to the stores and vice versa. For the process itself, the operational part is very important and therefore it is important for us to have everything under control and to solve individual irregularities in one place.

What are the main particularities of the fashion retail industry compared to FMCG, for example, where planograms and space planning are a standard?

The main characteristics certainly include the high turnover of goods, the prediction of the next seasons and trends and the adaptation of the purchasing process, the management of the size curves of assortments such as footwear or textiles, the specific needs of individual areas and customers and many others. Therefore automating this process is essential for us.

How do you upload data to Quant? Have you managed to set up automatic data transfers between Quant and your ERP?

As it is clear from the above, automation is key for us, and this applies also when it comes to data. Working with data is crucial and that’s why connecting our data directly with Quant was essential for us from the beginning. Only then can Quant be used to its full potential.

How has Quant Web proved to be a tool for publishing planograms and communicating with stores?

Definitely Quant Web is a great asset! Not only for the stores, who have access to the latest layouts, and all the planograms they need to implement, can communicate directly with our department, and can submit tasks to solve their specific needs, but also for us. The application works within a web browser and thanks to this, we always have all the necessary information at our fingertips.

Do the stores upload the photos as part of the planogram implementation confirmation? Has this worked well for you? What kind of devices do your stores use to take photos?

The whole process needs to be in the DNA of the entire company, and one of the key users is the one in the store. Therefore, it is important for us to have updated photo documentation of the implemented planograms immediately available (and do not have to deal with it by email). Also, if necessary, to have a direct contact with the specific store to solve any potential problems both from the side of the product display or any technical difficulties that may affect the implementation. Therefore, we have an instant response from the stores, and we are able to react to it. Colleagues in the stores use both their mobile phones and the tablets to work with Quant.

Sportisimo opens several new stores every year. How does Quant help you in this process?

The actual execution of a reconstruction or opening a new store is quite challenging. Quant has been helping us from the very first layout design. We can define a benchmark store, which we expect to perform the same as the newly opened store, and we can use this data to design it. At the same time, it helps us to create the basis for the first delivery and the actual implementation of the product display is easier thanks to the assortment layouts / planograms.

Can you describe the main benefits of using Quant after five years of its deployment?

Working with store layouts and planograms is now very easy. Thanks to this, we are constantly making the store space more efficient. Of course, the whole process could not be done without the gradual deployment of individual automated tasks for the management and handling of goods. Thanks to these steps, we are able to improve the store stocks and replenishment of goods runs fully automatically within some of the categories. This naturally results in a lower workload for our colleagues in the stores but also in logistics.

What are your future plans?

Work in retail never ends and there is always something to develop and improve. We are basically still at the beginning. So, we still have a lot of goals to achieve. Based on clearly measurable data, we will optimize Sportisimo’s product categories, which is not an easy task, but we expect very good results. Gradually, we are going to add more product categories to the automatic replenishment and thus manage the flow of goods even more efficiently. At the journey’s end, we want to manage the flow of goods primarily through automatic replenishment, and that‘s where Quant will help us the most.