Rossmann Optimizes Its Inventory with RELEX

On August 31st, 2018, German magazine “Lebensmittelzeitung” writes about Rossmann’s supply chain optimization project with RELEX.

Lebensmittelzeitung is one of the most highly regarded German publications for retailers. On August 31st, the journal ran an article about Rossmann’s and RELEX’s joint supply chain project where Michael Rybak (Managing director Sales, Logistics and IT) and Jürgen Mattulke (Head of Inventory Management) of Rossmann spoke about their impressive results.

Both managers expressed their satisfaction about the cooperation with RELEX and the system’s performance, which has already led to substantial improvements at various points of the supply chain:

• Stock for promotional products has reduced by 25 %, while availability has improved.
• Out-of-stock throughout the assortment decreased from 1.5 % to less than 1 %.
• Overstocking of promotional products was cut by 25 % in comparison to the previous year, whereas out-of-stocks were reduced by 10 %.
• During the previous Christmas season, out-of-stocks were reduced by 17 % compared to the previous year, without an increase in inventory.

Rossmann’s supply chain operation relies on RELEX’s demand forecasts which take many factors into account, such as, demand peaks in the days following wage payments, supplier constraints and loading capacities of trucks. All of Rossmann’s 2,100 stores and 8 distribution centres are replenished with RELEX’s system which calculates forecasts for 100 million product-store-combinations every year.

Rossmann is also starting to use RELEX’s space and assortment software to optimize its space planning on store-level. Thus, in addition to optimizing order quantities, Rossmann will also be able to produce store specific planograms.

About Rossman
Dirk Rossmann GmbH is the second largest drugstore chain in Germany and, by turnover, is one of the ten most important grocery retailers in Germany. In 2019, Rossmann Group generated a turnover of 10 billion euros with 4,088 points of sale in Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Albania, Kosovo and Turkey.

Full article (in German) available here.