Canadian retailer to implement solutions for balancing promotions, inventory and service levels while better managing distribution constraints
New York — January 12, 2004 — The Brick Warehouse Corp. (The Brick), Canada's largest retailer of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics, said it has selected i2 Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions with a goal of balancing promotions, inventory, service levels and operating costs while better managing distribution constraints.
The Brick said it selected i2 as a partner to provide solutions in the areas of forecasting and replenishment planning, vendor collaboration, and promotional optimization for its growing operations, currently counting five distribution centers and 75 retail locations across Canada.
"We selected the i2 software to help us be successful in reaching our goal of becoming the most operationally efficient company in our industry," said Ron Maher, vice president, logistics and inventory management for The Brick. He went on to explain that a comprehensive assessment of the company's supply chain helped them to identify several key areas to be addressed, including improved forecasting and supplier collaboration, customer service levels, and the flow of product through our supply chain.
"We believe the retail software suite will offer the Brick the most complete and integrated solution, and can help us achieve our advanced planning and supply chain optimization requirements, maximizing payback in these areas," Maher said.
i2 said its solutions are designed with statistical forecasting techniques, rules-based modeling and real-time data synchronization with multi-dimensional analysis. Additionally, the planning tools are designed to enable a replenishment plan to meet service level goals while minimizing inventory investment at stores and distribution centers.
Brett Friedman, i2 senior vice president, said, "Retailers are looking for closed-loop solutions that provide optimization and real-time exception-driven feedback. i2's retail suite addresses the retail workflows, from merchandise planning to pricing optimization, replenishment planning to transportation and distribution optimization."
