M&S signs new supply chain deal with JDA
By Jon Whiteaker - 04:59PM - Mon 21st November 2011
High street retailing giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) has confirmed today that it has purchased a number of new solutions from supply chain specialists JDA Software .
The investment, conducted in the third quarter of 2011, was made with the intention of helping effectively manage the trader’s product flow through a multi-tier international supply chain, acquiring the latest versions of JDA software relating to allocation, demand, fulfilment and size scaling.
CEO of M&S Marc Bolland has made clear his intention to extend the firm’s reach further abroad with the launch of a new store in Paris, set to open at the end of this month, and the creation of a French language transactional site.
With this changing focus on its operations, M&S will have had to review its logistics and supply chain systems and JDA has clearly benefitted from its new strategy.
Andrew Skinner, Merchandising Director at M&S, said: “JDA Software has the proven retail solutions that will help Marks & Spencer deliver supply chain efficiencies across a broad portfolio of brands and categories.
“By leveraging JDA’s solutions and support, Marks & Spencer expects to improve in-store availability, reduce end of-season markdowns, and increase the efficiency of our supply chain operations.
“JDA’s technology will provide Marks & Spencer with the inventory visibility we need to make more profitable decisions, help match our strategic and tactical plans with local customer preferences and drive overall profitability.”
In its most recent set of results, the UK trader revealed a dip in profits for its first half period due to difficult trading conditions and its investments in growth over the six months to October 1st 2011.
Bolland explained in response to those results that he had been managing the business through the market’s current difficulties whilst continuing to invest in building its operations for the longer term, with multichannel and international growth seeming to be the priority.
Razat Gaurav, Senior Vice President for EMEA at JDA Software, commented: “We look forward to helping Marks & Spencer drive consistent in-store availability and profitable replenishment to grow its core U.K. retail business and expand its international presence for continued success.”