Centric PLM
Superdry-ving Global Growth with Centric PLM
Superdry is an exciting contemporary brand which focuses on high-quality products that fuse vintage Americana and Japanese-inspired graphics with British style. Today, the global digital brand has a significant and growing presence around the world, operating through 695 Superdry branded stores in 59 countries. Superdry.com, operating from 21 international websites, sells to over 100 countries worldwide. Scott Robertson, Head of Central Merchandising at Superdry explains why, in today’s highly-competitive fashion industry, it’s not enough just to keep pace and why the leading UK fashion retailer needed to actively put strategies in place with PLM to stay on top.
Four-pillar strategy
We charted an ambitious mission to have ‘an item of Superdry in every wardrobe’ which resulted in four strategic pillars grounded in a thorough understanding of our brand, consumer, product and organizational capability. Achieving our strategic growth plans required innovative digital solutions. We chose to partner with Centric Software and use their Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution as the foundation to achieve our four-pillar strategy.
Here is a look at how Centric PLM shored up our four pillars:
1. Global Digital Brand – Building Superdry to a globally recognized brand with digital as our core capability
One of the key points under this pillar is to apply a digital mindset to everything we do. Centric PLM launched our digital transformation. Having all of our product data in one central location available to all departments allowed us to get rid of the back-and-forth required with the old-school use of spreadsheets and email for product development. It also cut down on costly errors that could develop with working that way.
2. Relentless Innovation – An obsessive focus on quality and innovation ingrained in our design process
A massive transformation in the design process came in the form of our quarterly reviews. Prior to PLM it would take designers an entire week to print out information and create storyboards. Now, this can be done in one click with Centric PLM! Just this point alone, saves the teams much wasted effort, allowing the focus to be on innovative design.
3. Operational Excellence – Create an effective and efficient operating model to support our global growth and operating margin ambitions
Centric PLM lent structure to all internal processes and is a game changer for our business. It’s a stepping stone towards so many other exciting areas of innovation, from 3D design to personalization. Range optimization, assortment planning and demand forecasting are all enhanced through the medium of PLM. With a truly digital supply chain in place, we have the visibility we need to grow and evolve.
4. World Market Opportunity – Optimising growth through our agile, multi-channel approach
Centric PLM enabled us to consolidate our wholesale and retail lines into one global range, reducing the total style options by an astounding 33%. In 2018, wholesale revenue growth increased by about 30% led by 75 Superdry franchise stores added across 33 countries. The unified range simplified the offerings, bolstering on-time and in-full product completion from 70% to 89%. Having one global range facilitated e-commerce expansion and further strengthened our multiple channel ideal.
So overall, a clear mission and sound strategies with good partners are the tools we need to win the fight in conquering the ever-changing marketplace.