Midsize Fashion Retailer Bonita Selects SAP Solutions for Retail
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Retailer Deploys SAP® Point-of-Sale Application in Stores Across Europe
WALLDORF, Germany - December 05, 2007 - In another demonstration of its leadership in providing industry-specific solutions to the world's leading retailers, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that women's and men's fashion retailer BONITA GmbH & Co KG - operating under the brand NIC for men's fashion - has selected SAP® for Retail solutions to centralize its operations across Europe. Specifically, the SAP® Point-of-Sale (SAP POS) application will enable BONITA to optimize its customer service and store process productivity by seamlessly integrating store and back-end processes. In addition to the SAP for Retail solutions, BONITA will deploy the latest version of SAP® ERP, which will help the company to grow from 700 stores to 1,500 over the next five years.
Prior to the SAP implementation, the integration and management of the company's supply chain posed a significant logistical challenge for BONITA. Due to seasonal fashion trends and continuous expansion to other countries, the planning process had become increasingly complex. To address these challenges, BONITA is streamlining its European product group structures with the SAP for Retail logistics solution, SAP® Extended Warehouse Management for Retail and Wholesale Distribution, to enable transparent and continuous visibility of product flows in its supply chain.
BONITA's supply chain will now be fully integrated due to the SAP NetWeaver® technology platform. Warehouse management processes are embedded in the solution, leveraging radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology to optimize product distribution and availability in both the warehouse and on the store floor. Following the implementation, stores will be able to better adjust their stock, according to customer demands.
SAP for Retail: Driving Customer and Operational Excellence
Based on SAP NetWeaver® Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI), SAP POS can upload data in real time for BONITA. The company will now be able to receive precise information on customer reactions, and can conduct customer buying behavioral analysis to track which items are bought together. This way, advertising campaigns and discount actions can be executed quickly and be more focused. In addition, inventory harmonization measures and customer relations programs can be developed more dynamically and according to the situation. With the SAP implementation, BONITA will be able to monitor the entire life cycle of fashion items, simultaneously developing new services for stores. SAP POS is a global solution that supports numerous languages, tax systems and currency functions, enabling BONITA to further pursue its international growth plans. In addition to SAP POS, BONITA will also leverage the SAP® Merchandise and Assortment Planning application for tracking and controlling assortment planning according to demand and season.
"We are an innovative, growing company that requires complete business process transparency to realize our goal of opening more than 150 stores per year," said Jargen Pasierbsky, CEO, BONITA. "We were not able to manage this goal with our existing applications - they had reached the end of their development cycle. As a midsize enterprise, we face the same challenges as large corporations do, with the difference being that we need to respond more quickly and be closer aligned with our customers. With SAP, we are able to establish an integrated system that allocates our products to the right places at the right time and that allows for the transparency we require to act more flexibly."
Working together with SAP, BONITA will standardize its business processes across Europe. The first phase of the project has started in the fourth quarter of 2007 with the implementation of the latest SAP ERP application and the simultaneous deployment of the SAP for Retail solution portfolio.
"Like BONITA, ninety percent of fashion retailers in Germany are high-end midsize enterprises that require tailored solutions that drive customer and operational excellence for the fashion industry," said Peter Kabuth, vice president, Trading, SAP AG. "SAP is a trusted partner for retailers of all sizes, providing industry-specific business solutions that help them provide exceptional customer service, customer loyalty and brand differentiation."
About BONITA
BONITA is one of the leading women's fashion retailers with over 700 BONITA stores across Europe and 60 men's fashion stores, operating under the brand NIC. The enterprise, initially called Moha, was founded in 1969, changing into BONITA in 1986. Headquartered in Hamminkeln in North Rhein-Westphalia, Germany, all group activities are controlled from here, approximately 50 km out of Dusseldorf. With more than 3,800 employees, BONITA is one of the leading women's fashion brands. Its strength lies with its flexibility, quality and continuous innovation, resulting in unique fashion and excellent customer service. The brand BONITA addresses fashion-conscious female customers starting from the age of 30. Its collections are carefully composed of trendy colors, resulting in four color topics. The customers can arrange their outfits in an interesting and individual way, choosing from various and imaginative clothes ranging from size 36 to 48. Accessory, such as bags, shoes, jewelry accomplish the assortment. For more information on BONITA visit www.bonita.eu
About SAP for Retail
SAP for Retail is a solution portfolio that helps retailers understand their business, anticipate the needs of their business and inspire their customers, employees and shareholders by delivering results. The portfolio comprises an end-to-end set of retail solutions; merchandise management and planning; store operations (through the acquisition and integration of Triversity POS solutions); and base finance and HR solutions. SAP for Retail helps retailers of all sizes to create shopping experiences that their customers will want again and again, by providing the ability to make the right decisions quickly and profitably (Additional information at www.sap.com/retail/).
About SAP
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software*. Today, more than 43,400 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP® applications-from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver® technology platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP software helps enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP solution portfolios support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, retail, financial services, healthcare and the public sector. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management.
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