LONDON and ATLANTA, Oct. 22, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global supply chain optimization provider, Manhattan Associates, Inc. (Nasdaq:MANH), today announced that House of Fraser, one of the UK & Ireland's leading department stores, has completed the conversion of its national distribution center (NDC) in Milton Keynes from a store-focused logistics hub to a multi-channel fulfillment platform by bringing its online and store fulfillment functions together under one roof and by extending its reliance on Manhattan's Warehouse Management software to drive both businesses. The revamped distribution network and associated reduction in operational overheads has delivered significant costs savings.
House of Fraser has achieved the savings by moving its online operation from a third-party-operated warehouse in Surrey to its national distribution center (NDC) in Milton Keynes. The online operation is now being run on Manhattan Associates' warehouse management software, which already handles the supply of goods to House of Fraser's 62 stores.
"Manhattan Associates was chosen for both the ecommerce and store-based sides of the business following a detailed review process," explained Mark Holland, supply chain director at House of Fraser. "It was essential that we had a single system that could cope with a future transition to a common stock platform -- even though for now at least we still store the online goods in a separate part of the warehouse."
Not only has House of Fraser dramatically reduced its operational costs by combining the two warehouses, it has also improved customer service levels. Goods are now made available online at exactly the same time they appear in the stores and managers have real-time visibility into inventory across both parts of the business. As a result, House of Fraser is able to get goods to customers faster, and it is able to respond more quickly to customer enquiries.
The implementation was handled by a team led by Mark Holland and comprised stakeholders from different parts of House of Fraser's business, including the Information Technology and eCommerce departments. "Manhattan Associates and our logistics services provider, DHL, both played significant roles in the process," added Mr. Holland.
"Manhattan Associates delivered in spades," continued Mr Holland. "We had experienced quite a few challenges in previous IT implementations, so we approached this one with extreme caution. It all went smoothly, however, and took less than three months from the end of the planning phase for the system to be up and running."
"We are delighted to be helping House of Fraser to upgrade a highly complex supply chain," commented Allen Scott, managing director of Manhattan Associates. "With a very wide range of brands, and an expanding channel mix, our extensive experience in cross-channel retail implementation projects really came into play. We look forward to continuing our relationship with House of Fraser as it continues to streamline its supply chain."
The next step for House of Fraser will be to improve efficiency further by combining the storage of stock for stores with that destined for home delivery.
About House of Fraser
House of Fraser is one of the UK & Ireland's leading department store groups, renowned for its designer brands and exclusive collections. Founded in Glasgow in 1849, it now employs over six and a half thousand people and operates sixty-two stores across the country. House of Fraser has annual sales in excess of 1.25bn pounds generated by its stores, its website and its new multi-channel Wedding List service. For more information, please visit www.houseoffraser.co.uk.
About Manhattan Associates, Inc.
Manhattan Associates(R) continues to deliver on its 19-year heritage of providing global supply chain excellence to more than 1,200 customers worldwide that consider supply chain optimization core to their strategic market leadership. The company's supply chain innovations include: Manhattan SCOPE(R), a portfolio of software solutions and technology that leverages a Supply Chain Process Platform to help organizations optimize their supply chains from planning through execution; Manhattan ILS(TM), a portfolio of distribution management and transportation management solutions built on Microsoft.NET technology; and Manhattan Carrier Management, a suite of supply chain solutions specifically addressing the needs of the motor carrier industry. For more information, please visit www.manh.com.