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Forget Moz the Monster, retailers have their own gremlins!

You know it’s time for Santa when all of the major retailers launch their festive campaigns. And so far, this year has not disappointed!

However, like turkeys voting for an early Christmas, many retailers have extended their festive promotions to last for up to several weeks. With more complex promotions to manage than ever before, once profitable events like Black Friday now cause real headaches as supply chain and operations teams struggle to keep customers happy.

So what can retailers do before, during and after a promotion to mitigate the impact and ensure that promotional activity adds value? http://bit.ly/2AX3Uk9

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Given the volatile nature of demand coupled with the influence of seasonality and ever-evolving product lifecycles, developing a robust forecast is often fraught with difficulty.

But steps can you take to improve the accuracy and relevance of your demand forecasts?

http://go.slimstock.com/better_forecast

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Playtime is over: Retailers must get serious about Omni-channel! #retail #toy #omnichannel #operations http://go.slimstock.com/omni_channel_toys

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Inspired by Team GB’s triumph in the last few years, more and more of us are getting back on the saddle. But how can businesses in the bicycle industry gear up their operations to exploit the growth opportunities that lie ahead?   https://lnkd.in/g5niKND

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Inspired by Team GB’s triumph over the last few years, it seems more and more of us are getting back on the saddle. Last year alone, we cycled an impressive 3.5 billion miles; 6.3% more than in 2015! However, as Brexit jitters take hold and the Government forges ahead with a major initiative to double the uptake of cycling by 2025, the next few years will be no easy ride for the bicycle industry!

In our latest infographic, we explore what challenges businesses in the bicycle industry must overcome to stay ahead of the pack 

Click here to download the complete infographic: 

http://go.slimstock.com/bikeinfographic

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Bicycle production in the UK has undergone a resurgence in recent years. Since 2007, output has more than doubled and in the last year alone, exports have increased by an impressive 13%. However, UK-based manufacturers have a lot of work to do before they can compete with the Far Eastern powerhouses that dominate the industry. So how can British brands break away from the competition to exploit the accelerating growth in the market? Click here to read the complete story: http://go.slimstock.com/bike_manufacturing

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Vegware caters for global growth with Slimstock partnership http://go.slimstock.com/vegware

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Tour de Supply Chain: Wholesale & Distribution

Inspired by team GB’s triumph in the last few years, more and more of us are getting back on the saddle. In fact, according to British Cycling, we are now one of the most successful cycling nations in the world. However, as Brexit jitters grip the cycling industry and the value of the pound continues to plunge forcing up the cost of imports, for cycling wholesalers and distributors, the next 12 months could be a real uphill struggle. How can businesses manage the supply hurdles that lie ahead in order to keep pace with evolving customer demand? http://go.slimstock.com/wholesaledistrib

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In more recent times, cycling in the UK has undergone a resurgence. With no sign of this growth slowing, businesses now face a huge opportunity to profit. But what can they do to maximise sales opportunities while minimising supply chain costs and exposure to risks?

Slimstock: http://go.slimstock.com/tourdesupplyretail

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How can retailers gear up their operation to capitalise on the accelerating bicycle market? http://go.slimstock.com/tourdesupplyretail

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The secret to better forecasting?...Thanks for asking, but it’s classified...

Deciding the right balance and assortment of stock-keeping units across multiple warehouses can be a bewildering task. Regularly monitoring and planning the correct level of inventory across tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of items without the right tool is enough to make even the best of supply managers capitulate. Adding the difficult task of deciding which forecasting technique will produce the most appropriate forecast results for a given demand profile, along with all of the configurations available for each model, results in endless possibilities and permutations and a very challenging problem indeed. But what can supply chain managers do to overcome this hurdle? http://go.slimstock.com/secrettobetterforecasting

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For businesses that rely on suppliers based in the Far-East, Chinses New Year Factory Closures present a huge challenge. As factories across the country close shop for several weeks, businesses around the rest of the world are left exposed to bottle necks and supply chain shortages. Is it time businesses adopted a new approach to manage their operations during this turbulent time? 

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“Now is the time to drive improvements across your supply chain”

Extreme volatility in demand, spiralling product ranges and increasingly lengthy lead times were all hot topics at this year’s Automechanika Birmingham event. However, in today’s uncertain business environment, maintaining the consistently high levels of availability that consumers demand, was undoubtedly seen as one of the most pressing challenges businesses across the automotive industry face.

The automotive industry is cut-throat at the best of times. However, according to the Guardian, automotive businesses are now at a tipping point. With an evolving political climate as a result of Brexit, rapid advancement of new technologies and a huge shift in car ownership, how can businesses attain the level of supply chain flexibility required to overcome the speed bumps that lie ahead? http://go.slimstock.com/automotiveupdate

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Demand planning is more that just child’s play after all: Who would have thought it!

The Times revealed that demand for toys in Britain is booming. However, it seems children are not the only ones getting in on the action: the so-called “kidult” sector, adults that buy children’s toys for their own personal use, is set to grow at three times the pace of the rest of the market!

Given the growing number of grown-up gamers, this sector could offer some hugely lucrative opportunities to profit. However, out of embarrassment, it seems a large proportion of these customers are making their purchases via anonymous online channels. Thus, without any clear visibility over who these grown-up gamers are, how can businesses align their operations to the needs of a market they don’t fully understand? http://go.slimstock.com/demandplanning

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Don’t get burnt by the summer surge!

While seasonal influxes can present retailers with great opportunities to profit, British weather is a volatile force and even the most marginal drop in temperature or hint of rain can have a devastating impact on sales. Research suggests that a deviation of just 1° from the seasonal average temperature typically leads to a 1% change in sales. Given that the UK retail industry is worth around £300bn, this minor fluctuation could impact retail sales by as much as £3bn.

With the potential to boost sales in the coming months, what can you do to prevent your operations from being left high and dry by uncertainty?

Read the full article here: http://go.slimstock.com/summer_sun 

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As events go, things don’t get much bigger than the infamous Glastonbury Festival. Given that over 200,000 people attended this year alone, Glastonbury is a real success story. However, the popularity of Worthy Farm and lucky artists that get to play there is no happy accident: this event takes years of diligent planning!

From the beer sold in the vast variety of pop-up bars to the nuts & bolts that held together the pyramid stage on which the Foo Fighters gave one of their most explosive performances, Glastonbury is a meeting point where literally thousands of supply chains collide. In order to ensure that everyone enjoys a truly magical time, every element has to come together. After all, imagine how a shortage of beer or burgers would affect your festival experience: you would certainly think twice about going again!

So what can businesses learn from the way Glastonbury Festival delivers a truly exceptional customer experience?