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ARCADIA OUTFITTED WITH LATEST BI
T
he UK’s largest clothing retailer, Arcadia Group has deployed an enterprise-wide business intelligence
(BI) platform to improve decision making and business performance. With more than 2,000 branches throughout the UK, Arcadia needed to replace an existing BI solution used by a small user base with an organisation-wide platform that would provide users with accurate, consistent, and timely access to information, across its eight brands: Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfi t, Topshop, Topman, and Wallis.
It wanted to extend the benefi ts of a previous major IBM data warehousing programme that, by 2005, had created a robust, well-structured data warehouse for its central operations, which was supplemented by a BI tool to provide reports to around 200 users.
Arcadia undertook a detailed review of the incumbent MicroStrategy solution, as well as those from other leading BI vendors. After evaluating suppliers, Arcadia selected Information Builders’ WebFOCUS for its close integration with the IBM iSeries, the fact that would support the IBM-based
environment and the look and feel of the solution from an end-user perspective. It was also pleased that, with Information Builders, there were no additional IT investment demands with regards to updating its data warehouse infrastructure to support the software. David Hale, Arcadia Group supply chain
controller, said: “The intuitive nature of WebFOCUS meant we could train the staff on its functionality and at the same time get them to build reports for their job, which we knew would ensure user support of the solution. In fact [we] have already seen staff using it in creative and benefi cial ways for the business.”
One example of how WebFOCUS has
benefi ted Arcadia is through improved basket analysis. “Right now, jeans and jackets are hot items within men’s fashion. But we need to know what type of jean and what type of jacket work best together. Prior to WebFOCUS, we had to work on experience and basic tools to make decisions, but now we can analyse the data quickly and change displays overnight and therefore be more dynamic to the needs of our customers,” Hale added.
In addition to basket analysis, WebFOCUS is also being used in trials very effectively. Arcadia’s brands can now try different combinations and compare whether the trial stores are performing better than those not in trials. A report can be produced and decisions made quickly and easily based on the information. One of the key reasons for selecting
Information Builders was scalability. According to Hale, Arcadia will seek over the next few years to roll out WebFOCUS across all its stores in the UK so staff in the fi eld can make changes in store to help drive even more sales out of every branch. Arcadia also plans to re-develop its legacy management information using the IBM DB2 enterprise data warehouse and WebFOCUS, helping to consolidate the delivery and access of information for all staff onto a single, easy- to-use system. “WebFOCUS is transforming the way
we access and deliver information across the organisation. We are empowering users with timely, accurate and consistent information to help every employee make faster and better decisions. By doing so we are ensuring that every user’s contribution can have a positive infl uence on the business,” concluded Hale.
MIGROS ACHIEVES CRITICAL BUSINESS CONTINUITY
S
wiss supermarket giant, Migros has jumpstarted a major server system migration with the launch of data
protection, high-availability platforms. For the effort, which started in Spring
2009, Migros turned to Realstuff Informatik, a Switzerland-based IT service management provider and reseller of SteelEye solutions to the supermarket giant. The joint endeavour focused on replacement of the point-of-sale (PoS) server system in Migros’ 650 stores with a new platform that was more effi cient to operate and minimised the threat of downtime. To address Migros’ requirements, Realstuff implemented SteelEye LifeKeeper and Data Replication to safeguard data contained within the supermarket giant’s new server set-up.
MARCH/APRIL 2010 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
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