Kmart Australia, the multicategory retailer, has selected Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.
Kmart opened Australia’s first discount department store in Burwood, Victoria in 1969. Today, Kmart has more than 300 stores across Australia and New Zealand, employs over 37,000 people and is recognized as one of the most profitable discount department stores in Australia.
Due to growth and changes in the business over the years, Kmart’s way of working and systems needed a refresh. Their current end-to-end critical path of product development and sourcing from concept to shipment is complex, largely manual, people-dependent and supported by a mix of tools and systems making the seamless exchange of information, challenging.
Yu Min Thong, Head of Strategic Projects at Kmart says, “This results in inefficiencies, process waste, high variability in data quality and high workloads. Ultimately, improving productivity and data will aid decision-making, product outcomes, speed to market and lead to a more empowered workforce; all of which were intensified due to the pandemic. Leveraging PLM will be critical for the business to achieve its growth ambitions.”
To achieve this, Kmart selected Centric PLM and Centric’s Digital Merchandising Board, for collaborative, actionable information to drive go-to-market and assortment planning meetings and ‘what-if’ cost scenarios in real time to ensure the achievement of KPI’s and targets and improve decision-making.
“We assessed Centric as the best PLM solution fit for purpose with a proven track record,” says Thong. “Centric will deliver improved internal and external collaboration and greater use of data to influence design, buying and sourcing decisions, leading to improved product outcomes, speed, flexibility, visibility and systemic workflow management. A cohesive digitized ecosystem will empower teams to effectively manage and optimize the development of product ranges.”
“Centric have greatly invested time and resources throughout the extensive selection process, always striving to understand and meet Kmart’s objectives and needs. Kmart looks forward to a fruitful and sustained partnership where both parties grow in unison, optimize benefits post implementation and continuously evolve PLM capabilities to enable Kmart’s growth journey.”
“We are proud that Kmart Australia selected Centric,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “We look forward to working closely in a mutually beneficial partnership with Kmart to empower their teams with the digital tools they need to drive productivity, efficiency and growth.”
