George Davies’ latest retail venture GIVe has introduced a planning and product development system from Decision Systems to support its operation and help the new chain optimise its merchandise mix.
The system was selected by George Davies with the involvement of his daughter Melanie Davies, who was previously business unit director for Per Una, which her father ran until November last year.
Much of the functionality in the Buyerplan system was developed with active feedback from buyers and merchandisers at Per Una when it was introduced there. Next was the first retailer to adopt the system.
George Davies said that he is depending on Decision Systems to provide the tools required to manage the womenswear business “in a competitive and challenging market”.
Melanie Davies said that the version of the system being used at GIVe has been tailored to its requirements, and will be crucial to the business’s success. It covers pre-season planning, range building, costing, fabric management, range selection, critical path management, delivery scheduling and stock building. As well as GIVe’s own staff having access to the system, parts of it can be accessed by the retailer’s suppliers online.
Importantly, she told Retail Week, the system is allowing the business to pay attention to all aspects when it comes to expenses, with costings shown for every detail in how garments are made up.
Other features that Melanie Davies highlighted as key included the stock management tool, which is used for pre-season planning, in-season forecasting of sales stock and the markdown process.
She said that the system helps GIVe manage risk and make quick decisions to reflect what its customers want. “The visual reporting tools will allow staff to look at every line individually and its true potential. We think that is a huge benefit,” she added.
GIVe launched earlier this month with an online offer, flagship Regent Street store and a number of concessions in independent department stores.
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