Aptean Assortment Planning
AW Lab (part of Bata Group) improves merchandise and assortment precision Industry Retail
Challenges
» Continued company
expansions and channel growth made it difficult to manage both inventory and ordering
» Staying relevant and keep
engaging local consumers
Benefits
» Increased the
responsiveness of the preseason planning process
» Improved ability to react fast to market demand at any point in the merchandising cycle
Aptean Assortment Planning improved merchandise and assortment precision AW Lab, the international ‘urban sport-style’ retailer part of the Bata Group, has further improved merchandise and assortment precision after implementing Aptean Assortment Planning. AW Lab operates through more than 250 direct and franchise shops in Europe and Asia and a growing online presence. 75% of AW Lab’s business is footwear – featuring brands such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Converse. The remaining 25% is apparel and accessories, with AW Lab’s private labels playing an important role. “AW Lab customers are youthful girls and guys, fashion and style sensitive” – states Marcello Pinato, Merchandising Manager at AW Lab. “They know what they like, they want to collect experiences more than goods, they love brands that express innovation. As we expand throughout Europe and Asia, we want to offer our customers a combination of the most renowned international brands and local ones. We want to be “glocal”, global and local at the same time”. With a consolidated presence in Italy and Spain, AW Lab has also opened stores in Czech Republic, Romania, Georgia, Singapore and Malaysia. The company has plans to open 70 additional shops in the next 3 to 5 years to further expand its presence in Northern and Eastern Europe as well as in every major Asian country. AW Lab is part of the renowned footwear retailer Bata, present in 100 countries with over 5000 stores. Bata has successfully implemented Aptean Assortment Planning throughout the Group.