2016

GANT GERMANYin the fast lane Popken Fashion Group

on page 5

Read about: Omnichannel projekt

2016

IN THIS ISSUE

Look into Futura 2016

P. 02: Table of Contents

P. 03: Gant Germany – Retail Management System changed over to Futura

P. 05: Omnichannel project – Popken Fashion Group

P. 06: Being mobile with Futura

P. 07: Digital shelf – koffer24.de

P. 08: Futura software in the Ehlers fashion store

P. 09: Saving time – Karnevalswierts

P. 10: Properly managed stocks – Denim & More

P. 11: POS stations in Japanese stores – Cath Kidston

Imprint

Under CEO Patrik Nilsson, the Swedish lifestyle label GANT has reposi-

tioned itself. The company‘s traditional focus on shirts has been emphasised

by introducing the new “GANT Diamond G” sublabel, and the objective

defined: Nilsson wants to make GANT the leading international lifestyle

brand by 2020. The relaunch is accompanied by sophisticated marketing

campaigns – including one in Germany, where the Stockholm-based

company is represented by the Duetz Fashion GmbH. The German sole

importer of the premium label relies on modern IT solutions from Futura.

New brand presentation raises expectations

The marketing activities for the new line, presented for the first time at the Fashion Week in New York, also include a new GANT web presence. In the German shop, the new GANT-Diamond-G shirts for men and the new women’s GANT-Diamond-G shirts are prominently placed on the website. Clean, classic lines and elegance are typical hallmarks of the company‘s fashions and its presentation alike - „House of GANT“ style is unmistakably consistent.

Even before the rebranding with a new collection, new store concept and new logo was launched with a lot of publicity drum-beating, GANT Germany had decided to introduce a new IT system. The new system was supposed to meet the growing demands of an expanding business and to modernise the stock management processes as well as satisfy the customer‘s expectations regarding service at the POS. “Apart from the professional consultation we had before the decision we were particularly impressed by the general concept of the software, both with regard to the process-oriented retail management functionalities and to the online POS concept,” says Philipp Ottjes, responsible for Retail Controlling at Duetz Fashion GmbH.

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GANT Germany: in the fast lane with strong marketing and new IT

Photos courtesy of GANT Germany/Duetz Fashion GmbH, GANT and Diamond G Kollektion

Philipp Ottjes, Retail Controlling, Duetz Fashion GmbH

Photolia/montage

Changeover to the new retail management system

Migrating the data from the predecessor system to the new Futura4Retail retail management system required a sense of details: the conversion also involved something of a historical cut. All item units were meticulously changed from individual identification numbers to global EAN item numbers. The result is impressive:

Stock and turnover data from previous years was imported into the new system with reference to the items tagged with individual identification numbers. Time-consuming retagging of items was not necessary. All item movements can now be tracked via EAN (European Article Number). This also facilitates the handling of returns at the POS.

To ensure that the top-quality goods arriving from Europe and overseas can be allocated after the goods-in not only to the 34 GANT stores of Duetz Fashion GmbH but also to the GANT shops-in stores and multilabel stores supplied exclusively by Duetz Fashion GmbH, it was also important to meet the real challenge of assigning the data. The Futura team solved the problem by implementing a branch-off point which uses the eBiss link to Futura4Retail only to transfer the item data destined for the GANT store. The item data for the goods intended for the shop-in-store spaces are automatically passed on to the wholesale customers. Data is supplied (via eBiss) by EDI electronic data interchange (PRICAT, ORDRSP, DESADV).

Staying ahead with mobile technology

The new GANT line in the German stores is now managed using Futura4Retail and paid at Futura4POS stations. To check corporate key figures, the Futu-ra4Dashboard BI tool comes into play. For Ottjes, Retail Controller and Project Leader, the clearly presented real-time analyses are every bit as important as mobile data availability: “Consistently integrating the Futu-ra4Dashboard into our Monday meeting quickly helped us to increase efficiency. The transparency achieved for the most important KPIs helps us to take the necessary action in an even more targeted manner.”

Satisfied with how the cooperation has been going so far, Ottjes will also rely on the support by Futura solutions for their omnichannel activities. Integration of all channels is already on the agenda.

Ottjes:

• German sole importer for the premium lifestyle brand GANT

• Segments: MEN, WOMEN, KIDS, MEN UNDERWEAR, SWIMWEAR

• Company headquarters: Holzwickede

• Staff of 400

• 34 own stores

• 2 franchise stores

• 150 shop-in-shop areas

• 750 retailer POS

DUETZ FASHION GMBH

GANT Germany: in the fast lane with strong marketing and new IT

4

Phot

o: G

AN

T

„Futura‘s comprehensive experience in the retail business

helped us to make our processes more effective.

We‘re quite excited by the prospect of exploring

omnichannel retailing and look forward to benefiting

from Futura‘s experience in that field too.

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Telephone, home computer – and item comparison on paper. These are the processes the Popken Fashion Group wants to make easier for their staff and customers when they begin to develop a mobile solution together with Futura. The Popken Fashion Group, the successful fashion company with 600 branches, comprises Ulla Popken GmbH and, since 2012, Gina Laura GmbH & Co. KG. Both fashion retailers are long-standing Futura customers. Futura does not have a product which bundles the processes the customer needs ready in their desk drawer. But they‘ve got programmers who know retail very well, ideas and one or two add-on programs which work on similar lines. Ulla Popken‘s omnichannel team gets together with Futura‘s developers and project managers. Processes are discussed, requirements defined – the product idea for the “Futura-4SalesAssistant” evolves. Priorities are decided – and discarded again. Egbert Renken, lead omnichannel project manager at the Popken Fashion Group: “We‘ve devised the omnichannel strategy for the Popken Fashion Group in coop-eration with Futura‘s project team, and have set up the design speci-fication so that it perfectly reflects our requirements.”

Popken Fashion Group

Developing the Futura4SalesAssistant – a closer look at a customer’s project

Shopping Center, Hamburg-Poppenbüttel: Enthusiastically like a good friend, the Ulla Popken fashion adviser helps her customer to find clothing that fits her perfectly. And as the right size is not available in the local branch, she pulls out all the stops. She orders items from other branches. She fills out order slips, notes down item numbers. And she gives her customer a hot-off-the-press catalogue to take home, on which she has noted down the item number so that the customer can order the item by phone from the head office. A discount coupon is also thrown in. Finally she suggests that her customer could also take a look at the online shop.

The first basic decisions: The new product will be a Windows 10 app; first key function: stock display, alternatively by sizes or colours. Other functions will be price change (as instructions for labelling) and recall. The Futura team attends to the SQL Server based data structure. And to the relevant programming to ensure the reliable supply of data to the new product from the inventory-managing retail management module. Other team members develop an intuitively operated user interface. Sub-tar-gets are defined for the Futura4SalesAssistant development project. The Futura team keeps the Popken team up to date about the progress being made, gives feedback. At the same time, the Ulla Popkens team takes care of the perfect network environment and sets up WLAN in all stores. The first milestone, a test run on tablet in the Gina Laura sample head office, is achieved on schedule, despite the tight time frame. The stock check, price change, head office recall and inter-branch transfer features are implemented. Go-live in 10 test stores is scheduled for five days later. “Defining the project to rolling out a workable application for 10 test branches only took three months. The commitment and dedication on the part of staff at Futura and TreuOrga, our system house, as well as all Popken Fashion colleagues have enabled us to implement the project in such a short time,” says Renken.

In the first branches, the Futura4S-alesAssistant is ready to be used to view the stock levels, by size or colour. The new solution is used to query stock data, to confirm IBT instructions or to transfer price changes or register recalls. The pick list on paper has become obsolete here. And what about the other features? Are they passing the test? The sales advisers are asked to give feedback on how the new program is doing in practice – is the app running as it should, what‘s still missing, what‘s already working well. Meanwhile, the well-established, proven teams of Ulla Popken and Futura are working on the next features. One of these is Click & Reserve: order in your own online shop and have it delivered to the local branch. A development step which everybody believes in. And this surely includes the friendly fashion adviser, who will be able to take a look at the online shop together with her customer.

• Ulla Popken GmbH, GINA LAURA GmbH & Co. KG, Studio Untold GmbH

• Distributes their fashion range in more than 30 countries all over the world

• Private labels: Ulla Popken, GINA LAURA, JP 1880 and STUDIO UNTOLD

• Markets through more than 650 stores, mail-order and internet sales as well as through selected B2B partners.

• More than 4,000 employees

• Headquarters: Ulla Popken GmbH, Popken Fashion Services GmbH, Am Waldrand 19, 26180 Rastede; GINA LAURA GmbH & Co. KG, Bloherfelder Str. 254–276, 26129 Oldenburg

• http://www.ullapopken.de and http://www.gina-laura.com

POPKEN FASHION GROUP

Photos courtesy of Popken Fashion Group

Exploring requirements and ideas together

Priority given to practical design

Development in clearly structured steps

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Products for your omnichannel presence

The Futura4Omnichannel solution

is based on solid processes of the

Futura4Retail and Futura4POS retail

management systems. The retail

soft-ware manages all the data you

need in a business that is oriented

towards omnichannel retailing. Futu-

ra4Omnichannel enables the full

integration of e-commerce, POS

The Futura4SalesAssistant is a virtual sales assistant for the sales floor. It brings features consumers are familiar with from the webshop, such as Click & Collect, to the stores. But Futura‘s solution does more than just provide online features - it also integrates retail management. (see the report on page 4).

Futura4SalesAssistant

The mobile all-rounders

The business intelligence solution presents company data in a clear and transparent graphical overview. The informative charts show real-time analyses of company data supplied by Futura4Retail and all connected sources in the company. The overviews are available in-store and online. The data can thus also be accessed from a tablet in a lounge at an airport or at a train station - if an internet connection is available.

Futura4Dashboard

For our Futura4POS point of sale system we have developed a complete application for smartphone and tablet. Here‘s a list of what our mobile POS can do. By the way: You can make all the necessary settings for the mobile POS station just by scanning a QR code. Arduous entry via keyboard is not required.

Mobile Futura4POS Point of Sale

Mit der »»Artikelsuche lässt sich über ein Freitextfeld der Artikelstamm durchsuchen.

The »»Item Search provides a free text field that allows you to »»search the item reference data.

A customer can easily be assigned to the relevant sales transaction using the »»Customer Search. Here, too, the search term is entered in a free text field.

»»Customer cards with a barcode can easily be scanned, identified and assigned using the code pattern recognition function.

Existing »»product groups can be searched and added to the till receipt with any value.

»»Vouchers can both be sold or cashed at the mobile POS station.

Line and receipt »»discounts can be created.

The mobile POS station can also accept »»returns.

»»Credit card payments using the major common credit cards are also possible at the mobile POS station. All OPI terminals that are connected to the stationary POS can also be linked to the mobile solution.

Receipts can be sent as »»E-receipts to the e-mail address stored for the customer or entered by the sales staff.

The »»till receipt can, of course, also be printed as usual.

»»Bluetooth scanners and sleeves can be used. The camera of the smartphone or tablet PC can also be used as a »»barcode scanner.

The mobile POS station supports »»multiple languages: The user interface languages can be selected in the POS app.

The mobile POS station is complemented by the »»mobile stock display on the tablet. Stock levels, also from other stores, are shown in a grid.

By the way: »»Any number of mobile POS stations can be operated from a branch server (branch FAS).

software and retail management processes. It combines the service and feel of in-store shopping

and digital product availability to a seamless experience across channels. This also includes Futura‘s

mobile solutions.

From leather wallets through Deuter backpacks to Samsonite luggage – the product range of koffer24.de is large, the sales channels are manifold. “Stationary retail is only one of many – including virtual – places you can sell from,” says Stoll. Originally, the online shop was regarded as just another store in his company. “Today, the various ways of selling online, our own shop, the market places are very important for us.” In the brick-and-mortar store in Frankfurt, customers can benefit from a digitally extended counter, either though a terminal in the shop

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Where offline and online are all the same

Photonachweis

FuturERS: koffer24.de

E-commerce is no new ground for the FuturERS user koffer24.de. “We‘ve been running a speciality shop for leather goods in the Frankfurt city centre since 1920. In 1998, we opened our online shop for suitcases, backpacks or school satchels,” says Dr. Joachim Stoll, the Managing Director of the family-owned business. Today, the functions of the online business are also available as a digital extension of the shelves in the store.

• Retailer for suitcases, bags and school backpacks

• Branch: Schäfergasse 50, 60313 Frankfurt am Main

• Online shop: www.koffer24.de

• Baggage as well as bags for business, sports and leisure, bags for kids, small leather ware, car luggage

• Top brand suitcases, e.g. from Rimowa, Samsonite or Stratic, school backpacks and satchels e.g. from Scout, DerDieDas, McNeill, Messenger Bags from Bree, Camel Active, Vaude and much more.

KOFFER24.DEor with the help of a sales adviser. If a product the customer wants is not available in the shop, it can be ordered online and paid for at the cash desk in advance, but without the need to provide any bank details; a receipt documents the transaction. The item data is imme-diately transferred from the cash desk to Futura‘s inventory-manag-ing system.Stoll: “We use FuturERS to manage both our physical store in the Frankfurt city centre and our online shop – and this in two languages.” All basic functions of the online shop run through the FuturERS retail management system. Product data is maintained, invoices are

written or invoices are managed with different VAT rates for different countries of the European Union. The retail management system is connected to the online shop at one end and to an external logistics centre at the other. The connection between online shop and branch is established using middleware of the provider storeplus. The conditions thus created for placing in-store online orders is right down the Frankfurt business man‘s street. Stoll: “I‘m sure that the future of small and medium retailers can lie only in a mix of brick-and-mortar and online business.”Stoll has now also brought the experience he has gained with implementing this insight into book form. “I‘ve tried a lot of things in the past 10 years, with positive and negative results.” Even if other busi-nesses will not take exactly the same path as koffer24.de, Stoll believes: “The experience we acquire should be passed on.”

FuturERS – Making good things even better

» the link between FuturERS and Futura4SalesAssistant

» the transfer of cost centres to branches

» the transfer of POS prices (branch to head office!)

» the product statistics – optimisation when accessing/evaluating through page 2 – Item Attribute

» SQL Server 2016 adjustments

FOR CURRENT SEMINARS PLEASE VISIT THE SEMINAR SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE: WWW.FUTURA4RETAIL.COM/ACADEMY

The ERS update days for FuturERS 3.32A will bring you new features and enhancements for your FuturERS.

» purchase order planning and recommended reordering – screen masks can be enlarged (optional)

» F4POS – (new) Windows service “F4PosLnkService” (F4PIMSRV.EXE) for F4POS (as of version 0.18)

» the Host Interface – importing movement data – date/time details added to various record types

» the TouchPOS (SVTOUCH) – with optional display of the time of day

THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW FEATURES CONCERN:

Dr. Joachim Stoll, Managing Director

Photo courtesy of Dr. Stoll

Instructor Michael Warneke

koffer24.de is the name of the online shop that Futura‘s customer Dr. Joachim Stoll opened back in the late 90ies. Enough time to gain experience with E-commerce. Market places, parcel services, payment systems or logistics – the team of authors Joachim Stoll and Sybille Wilhelm (IT editor for a business magazine) has put together the various aspects that should be considered before launching online services. The easy to read practice guide “Praxisführer E-Commerce” is intended for retailers who have not had any experience with online commerce so far.

Praxisführer E-Commerce, Joachim Stoll, Sybille Wilhelm, Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH, ISBN 978-3-86641-308-5, price: 29,80 EUR

For online-beginners

• Designer fashion, shoes and accessories

• Sandwall 8, 25938 Wyk auf Föhr

• And outlet, CLOSED Store, online shop: www.ehlers-wyk.de

• Brands: e.g. 8 Eden Avenue, Adriano Goldschmied, EHLERS, Golden Goose, Herno, Villa Gaia, Werkstatt München, Zilla

EHLERS FASHION SHOP

“My grandmother comes from the island of Föhr,” Weber, who manages the exclusive shop in the third generation together with his wife Corinna, tells us. His approach: “Our fashion products are international, trendy, high-quality – and we are committed to fair production conditions.” To ensure this standard, the business man travels around, visits sewing factories, gets in touch with designers.

“I‘ve always got my laptop with me”, Weber says. And while the models are still presenting selected creations in

a Milan showroom, he starts making entries in the Futura4Retail retail management system. Weber: “I go online via VPN and group the items according to sizes, colours and season directly when ordering.” The reason why he is now relying on the Futura4Re-tail retail management system for support actually lies in the functionalities of Futura‘s POS system:

“Futura4POS is really important, the POS is what made me think of Futura in the first place”. Because

it‘s platform-independent. It also runs on an iMac - and we only work on Apple devices. And what‘s more,” Weber

says in praise of the POS system, “it‘s easy-to-use and it‘s scalable.” The Ehlers fashion store also has an online shop with favourite items, an outlet and a CLOSED Store. Weber: “We‘re small but exclusive.” The fashion shop on the holiday island has been using Futura software for more than two years now. Weber appears to be a managing director who really looks into the ample possibilities the Futura retail management system has to offer. His technical insight may have to do with the training for his first career. “I was a pilot,” Ehlers says. He was forced to give up flying for health reasons. At the beginning he didn‘t quite fancy the idea of taking over his mother‘s business. “I never wanted to get involved with the fashion store,” Weber honestly admits. “And now I really feel quite passionate about it.”

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Ehlers fashion shop:

With Futura4Retail in the showroom

“Frisian Caribbean” is what the North Sea island Föhr in the Wadden Sea of Schleswig-Holstein is affectionately called. And while hundreds of thousands of tourists a year are enjoying the white beach and blue sea, Peter-Boy Weber from the Ehlers fashion store in Wyk auf Föhr sets off to the European fashion cities. About 4 hours flight south to Milan: he plans to take a look at the new collections for his shop. In his luggage: his laptop and the Futura4Retail retail management system.

In addition to the highlights in version 6.4 of Futura4Retail, the latest version 6.6 of the Retail Management System brings useful enhancements such as intelligent distribution of incoming goods. The Futura4Retail Retail Management System combines a variety of optimised functions. For example the following eight features which can make your work with Futura4Retail a lot easier:

• Advanced search functionality: You can now specify relative t ime ranges in your search. A query can relate, for instance, to the “past X weeks” (or days/months/ years). This enables you to use the Alert Management function even more effectively.

• Updatable workflows: Users can define new or modify existing workflows entirely according to their individual business requirements. These are not affected by software updates; all customised workflows are retained.

• Redesigned product ordering screen: The Retail Management System offers an even better overview and optimised screens for working with several branches. Available branches or branch groups can be assigned to a purchase order simply by ticking them off.

• Enhanced Merchandise Management: Improved central logistics due to consistently implemented cross docking, i.e. the recommended reordering figures for all branches created in the Merchandise Manage-ment module will be registered as goods-in in the main warehouse. When the incoming goods are distributed to the branches, the planned quantities will be allocated or replenished on a branch by branch basis.

• Enhancement in the Cube: Faster analysis of key business figures due to optimised stock data calculation, evaluation of reasons for returns, discount and price changes.

• Webshop integration: Additional new options for integrating webshops (new service methods).

• Changes to data records: Easier tracking of changes made to documents or reference data. The function provides information about who has created or modified a record and when.

• Integrated Dashboard: Offers the company›s success data at a glance in a convenient overview of the key business figures.

Futura4Retail –

an essential tool for your sales success

Data WarehouseReporting, Inventory

AccountingWorkflow Management

CRM/CIS

Goods InInvoice Checking

LabellingRecall/Replenishment

Recommended Price ChangesBranch Allocation

Budget PlanningLimit ControlPurchase OrderOrder PlanningRecommendedRe-Order

NOS

Futura4POSPromotions

Customer OrdereCommerceVouchersLoyalty CardsBonus SystemGiftcards

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

CONTROLLING PURCH

ASIN

G

SA

LES

Phot

os c

ourt

esy

of M

odeh

aus

Ehle

rs

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Futura4POS – Updating automatically saves time and staff

Ensuring smooth workflows For Karnevalswierts, the specialist for fancy dressing, it‘s Carnival time all year round. Yet the peak season starts on 2 January and ends on Carnival Monday. “During this period we generate 80 percent of our annual sales,” says Ralph Wierts, Managing Director of the family-owned company from the Netherlands. But everything must also run like clockwork for the Oktoberfest or Halloween in the Karnevalswierts stores in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Würselen, Dortmund, Münster and Essen as well as in the headquarters in Heerlen in the Netherlands. To ensure this, the expanding company has enhanced its IT environment: the Futura4Retail retail management system and the Futura4POS point of sale system support the processes in the warehouses and stores. “The retail management system makes our work so much easier. We hope that it will also help us

to reduce our overtime,” says Ralph Wierts.

Cash transactions in two languages Richly decorated costumes from their own production as well as colourful party accessories are sold at about five POS desks in eight branches. The require-

ment that one and the same item should be called “Feuerwehrmann (firefighter)” in some branches and “Brandweerman” in others didn‘t pose any problem for

the multilingual Futura4POS software. Head of the company Ralph Wierts also had good experience with the cooperation with Futura‘s project manager. After the successfully completed pilot project in the Würselen branch, the order was extended to all locations. “Rolling out to the other branches went very smoothly,” Wirts says appreciatively.

Repeat order for thousands of items every day In the 3,500 square metres store in Cologne, for instance, cashiers attend to about 5,000 customers a day at eleven cash desks. A hundred kilometres further to the west, in the former mining town Heerlen, fork lifts move around the 11,000 square metres of the main warehouse of Karnevalswierts, ensuring that supply never stops. Orders from all of western Europe come in through their online shop. Heerlen also is the main reloading point for replenishment deliveries to the branches. 10 metre high rows of shelves are closely packed with plush bear skins, Red Indian costumes, stewardess or police officer uniforms, hanging side by side, sorted according to sizes. During the main season, each branch orders 1,000 to 2,000 items every day. Ralph Wierts appears satisfied with the results: “We have introduced Futura‘s retail management system to ensure that the right goods

are delivered to the right place at the right time.”

Real time-saver Futura4Retail‘s Merchandise Management module helps to save time, for example by automating the repeat order process. In the season, savings may add up to as much as 8 to 10 working hours per day and branch. And the company manage-ment has better control over the stock: what‘s still in the main warehouse, what‘s hanging in which branch and what has already been sold can be found out quickly in the Data Warehouse or the retail management system. Merchandise Management initiates replenishment of items on the very same day. And the trucks are already waiting in front of the hall in Heerlen.

fun on a large scaleFutura4POS & Futura4Retail

• Fancy dresses for women, men and children, accessories, fabrics

• In-house production, top quality, large quantities

• Family-owned company based in Heerlen (Netherlands)

• Stores in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Münster, Essen, Frankfurt, Würselen, Heerlen (NL) as well as a large online fancy dress shop www.karnevalswierts.com

• 11,000 square metres warehouse area

• Customers from all over western Europe e.g. the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland

DER KARNEVALSWIERTS

Karnevalswierts:

Several times a year, updates with new features, enhancements and correction of errors are made available for the Futura4POS point of sale system. Futura4POS version 4.0.18 enables you to plan such updates in the head office and have them installed automatically.The advantage of this process is that the update program no longer needs to be started indi-vidually at each and every POS

station. The necessary installation files are distributed automatically by the head office through the Futura Application Server (FAS). The existing data communication methods Internet and VPN (Virtual Private Network) are used for this.The Update Manager of the central FAS checks which version is installed on the individual POS stations and reliably transfers the installation files – even if bandwidth

is limited. The POS stations are then updated at the specified time. Updating takes place outside of the opening hours (usually in the night); different time zones are taken into account.In the morning, the POS Admin-istrator can check the overview of the updating progress. Should it happen that a POS station was unavailable for communication during the night, POS transactions can still be performed as usual the

next day. The head office of the Futura Application Servers (HO-FAS) will try again to install the update in the next night.Our FAS Dashboard keeps you in- formed about the update status. It is of course still possible to in- stall the update directly at the POS station. If you have any queries about the automatic update pro- cess, please contact our Service team (support@futura4retail.com).

Photos courtesy of Karnevalswierts

• Speciality jeans shop

• 7000 Chur (Switzerland), Steinbockstrasse 2

• Large range of brand-name jeans in all sizes and lengths

• Brands: Diesel, G-Star, Levi’s, Hilfiger Denim, Lee, Wrangler, Mustang, Replay, Gas, etc.

DENIM & MORE

“Denim & More” the fashion shop in Chur, the oldest town in Switzerland, specializes in jeans. The shop has recently been given a facelift: the products have taken centre stage and are presented in an attractive and inviting way. All the while the Futura4Retail retail management system is silently working in the background to ensure properly managed stocks.

Jeans in all sizesDenim & More‘s range of products focuses on popular jeans brands such as Levi‘s, Diesel, Pepe Jeans, G-Star, Replay, Lee and many more. When you step into the modern store in the Alpine city located on the right bank of the Rhine you will see that the new style of the shop deliberately avoids alien stylistic elements. Comforta-ble seats and warm light create an inviting atmosphere. Here you can take the time to find clothing that fits you well with the help of the friendly shop advisers. Availability plays a central role here, explains

Denim & More

Well stocked with premium jeans using Futura retail management

Christian Rippstein, the shop‘s owner: “Denim & More‘s DNA is denim, is the jeans. An effective, well-functioning retail manage-ment system is really crucial for us. Our business depends on the constant availability of models and sizes. We absolutely need a reliable NOS replenishment system.”

High-tech supported managementThe fact that Futura4Retail meets these exacting requirements was what prompted the businessman to choose this solution. The speciality shop in Graubünden also relies on

the “Merchandise Management” module. Futura4Retail‘s Merchan-dise Management supports deci-sion-making about mark-downs or replenishment with interactive statistics. And it generates proposals for price changes or reordering. Rippstein: “The new Merchandise Management tool enables us to manage our NOS products as efficiently as possible.” And thanks to the data warehouse we can keep an eye on our key figures at any given time and make sure our warehouse is well-managed.”

Practically designed softwareThe decision to work with Futura 4Retail was made in view of the ease of use and the practice- oriented design of this software. The business owner especially appreciates that Futura has consist-ently followed a practical approach throughout their development, especially in the fashion area: “We not only work with seasons and product groups, but also with characteristics that we can define ourselves. This gives us full control over our product range. And this is getting more and more important.”

Futura partner Locafox

Find on the Internet, buy in the store

“ROPO” (Research Online, Purchase Offline) is a designation for the habit of users to research product information online in order to buy the chosen products later in a local store. According to the current figures from GfK, the consumer research association in Germany, this is the typical behaviour of 41 percent of consumers – and the trend is on the rise. And these are exactly the customers Futura‘s partner Locafox wants to reach with their local shopping platform.The Berlin-based company presents products internet users have been researching, also providing details about prices and availability in the store.On a map of the area the platform shows the nearest retail store where customers can take a look at the particular product, reserve and buy it.

“Many retailers would like to be listed at Locafox but first need to pass the hurdle of sharing their stock data with the platform in real time”, Christian Jürs, Head of Sales at Futura Retail Solution AG, explains the cooperation between Futura and Locafox. “Futura customers can look forward to VIP service when integrating with Locafox in the future, as Futura and Locafox have jointly developed a standard interface.”Futura‘s customers will be able to export their data to Locafox easily using this standard interface and will be visible on the platform as fast as possible. In the event of a successful outcome – reservation of products and purchase in the store – Locafox will be entitled to a commission; Futura‘s service will only incur one-off setup costs. The actual interface for Locafox will be provided free of charge.

For further information contact us or our partner Locafox GmbH at www.locafox.de.

Photo courtesy of Denim & More

Photo: © Locafox

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Futura Retail Solution AG Zum Reiherhorst 19 – 2121435 Stelle/HamburgGermany

Phone: +49 (0) 4174 / 6690 - 0Fax: +49 (0) 4174 / 6690 - 90Mail: info@futura4retail.comWeb: www.futura4retail.com

Futura Software AGSeestrasse 2278810 HorgenSwitzerland

Phone: +41 (0) 44 / 925 35 00Fax: +41 (0) 44 / 925 35 36Mail: infoCH@futura4retail.comWeb: www.futura4software.ch

Futura4POS internationalCath Kidston:

Cash transactions all over the worldFutura POS stations support 29 different languages. Even languages that are written from right to left, such as Arabic, are available within the Futura4POS framework.

The picture shows: the user interface of a customer in the United Arab Emirates. Transactions are performed in Emirati dirham (AED), the local currency.

By the way: Languages can be added quite easily.

Futura4POS in Japan

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Expanding fashion brand Cath Kidston, which recently bought its Japa-nese franchise business of 27 stores back from Sanei International, has consolidated its Japanese retail network utilising Futura’s multi-lingual global EPOS solution.

Implementing new systems and hardware overnight, to ensure business continuity and uninterrupted trading for Japanese customers, was a key requirement for the UK-based management team. Futura4POS was se-lected because it provides an advanced real-time, multi-lingual, hard-ware independent retail environment, with the ability to roll out and up-date from Cath Kidston offices in the UK, in turn limiting the requirement for significant in-country overheads.

Working with Futura Retail Solutions, the UK management team devel-oped a complete in store retail model with a Japanese front end, includ-ing a fully translated product catalogue, integration with new third-party warehousing and logistics, CRM and Loyalty Rewards, all prior to the transition date. (...)

Importantly, this is not a standalone installation, it links back to Cath Kidston’s Futura-based head office systems in the UK for daily retail man-agement tasks including allocations and merchandising, all live in real

time. Updates from the UK flow down to each store with a Japanese front end. With limited training opportunities prior to the ‘go live’ date, the team could also run daily update releases, based on feedback in store and cultural requirements, to accommodate any issues that cropped up as staff familiarised themselves with the new system. (...)

Cath Kidston has used the Futura EPOS and retail management solu-tion in the UK since 2001 and first deployed Futura4POS, Futura’s 4th generation retail platform to stores in China during 2013. The addition of Japan brings the total number of stores using Futura4POS to 35 all linked in real time to the company’s back office systems in the UK. (...)

“Working with Futura and the experience to date has been phenomenal,” concludes Karl de Bruijn. “The fact that we haven’t had any downtime, despite an initial requirement to rely on mobile networks in a couple of stores, is testament to the stability of the system, and ongoing support is first class. Our current focus is on consolidating Futura as our key master environment for our omnichannel customer experience. That’s important because the Japanese market is brimming with opportunities and we are already opening our 28th store just a couple of months after the acquisition.” Source: Futura UK, Futura Retail Solutions Ltd.