Retail Acumen: Success Stories

Below are a series of client testimonials, case studies and success stories. Click on the links to navigate to each success story.

• Betty's and Taylors of Harrogate
• ASDA
• Thresher Group

Betty's and Taylors of Harrogate

Retail Acumen provided store specific analysis to Bettys to support them in determining the most profitable range by store. The analytics demonstrated where range rationalisation, and channelling some of the unit demand through the most popular lines, could increase profitability. This didn't only affect the retail operation but also the end to end supply chain which was part of Betty's unique 'Craft Bakery' operation.

The initial range and assortment analytics lead onto a piece of work that identified the optimal space allocation by store, by season, so that the Bettys management were well armed to implement range and space changes in line with their customers' buying behaviours.

Tamsin Daniel, Head of Marketing for Betty's said: "The Retail Acumen team have a tenacious approach to business and are 'data junkies'. Their analysis of our retail business, and the degree of detail that they went into, has really helped us to be more awake to the potential value that we have sitting on our shelves."

ASDA

Retail Acumen were invited in to prepare a comprehensive pack of 'future processes' for the ASDA non-foods team. This was to develop their existing thinking and to accelerate the process of defining requirements for the selection of a system that would be best able to support ASDA's business processes.

The core work was based on designing and developing all of the retail planning processes from setting the range plan to defining the store clusters and assigning the assortments and planning the space allocation. It was delivered by a team of 5 senior retail consultants over a very short period of time and met very aggressive timescales.

Martin Leeming, Central Planning Director, ASDA said: "Retail Acumen has delivered a great deal in a very short time frame, moving our process thinking forward in a new area of our business, supporting ASDA in saving its customers money everyday."

Thresher Group

Retail Acumen were invited in to work alongside the Thresher board in late 2007 and continued to do pieces of work with them until April 2009. The initial focus was to appraise the core business processes of range and space planning, promotional planning and the impacts the management of these processes had on the supply chain.

During the period of the engagement Retail Acumen identified a number of opportunities to Thresher worth in the region of £26 million per annum of margin improvement. These opportunities centred on assortment intensification and improving return on space.

Yvonne Rankin, CEO of Thresher Group said: "The team at Retail Acumen have provided first class support and expertise as we worked through our plans to improve range and space optimisation together with enhanced promotional planning."