Fashionista gives supply chain a BT makeover

Young fashion brand Lipsy has signed BT Expedite to provide a supply chain system, allowing it react to changes in fashion trends and buying behaviours more flexibly.

The clothing supplier sells through brands such as Top Shop and runs concessions in department stores such as Selfridges and House of Fraser. It also acts as a wholesaler to independent boutiques and hosts its own transactional website.

The brand was bought out of family ownership in May last year and an overhaul of the company's IT is part of that change in management.

silicon.com Retail & Leisure

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Lipsy MD Jeremy Stakol told silicon.com the company used to track its supply chain with a series of Excel spreadsheets but with business growing by 20 per cent every year, the management was finding it hard to keep control of the supply chain.

He said: "We need to understand where our stock is at all times. Retailers like Selfridges and House of Fraser are buying fashion much closer to the season and we are having to operate on lead times as short as three weeks."

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The Expedite sourcing package will provide visibility throughout the supply chain once it is up and running in three to four months, and will allow Lipsy to have better control on the sending of samples to its suppliers in China.

Stakol said: "The solution allows photos to be incorporated in supply chain information which for a fashion supplier is very useful. SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) only tell part of the story."

Although Stakol isn't sure about what sort of sales uplift the supply chain management system will bring, he is sure there will be one.

He said: "If we can increase sales by five per cent, the system pays for itself and I'm confident we can do that."