UR (Urban Revivo), the top Chinese fast fashion retailer, has selected Centric Software to provide its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution.
UR (Urban Revivo), founded in 2006, has experienced phenomenal growth and is now the number one fast fashion company in China. With a core concept of ‘fast luxury’, aiming to bring affordable yet luxurious clothes to consumers worldwide, UR has over 160 stores across China and overseas. The company has also established a base in Singapore and is expanding to oversea markets. UR plans to have over 400 stores globally by 2020.
Li Ri Mei, Senior Buying Director at UR, explains that UR’s rapid expansion in just over ten years has created significant business challenges. UR began looking for a PLM system several years ago.
“We lacked an effective information management platform to integrate design and planning information from individual team members,” he says. “We needed to find a way to ensure data accuracy and transparency to get everyone on the same page. In terms of merchandise management, we realized that a standardized process and planning calendar would greatly improve our efficiency. It’s important to us to keep our brand DNA consistent while responding quickly to market need in order to manage the color, material and style of designs.”
After researching several leading vendors in a long selection process, UR chose Centric Software’s Centric PLM solution.
As Li says, “We have known Centric for a long time. Every time we meet with the Centric team, we are impressed by their professionalism and knowledge of the fashion industry. They understand our pain points and can offer a tailor-made solution for us. UR is the leading fast fashion brand in China, and is growing fast in both the domestic and global markets. We believe that Centric’s successful experience in the global market will truly help in our expansion.”
“We want to build up the product merchandising and design platform as the cornerstone of our PLM system,” explains Li. “The next objective is to create standard processes in our database. Using tracking information, we plan to improve the efficiency of merchandising and design. Last but not least, we want to enhance cooperation between internal and external team members.”
“Using Centric PLM, we expect to establish the information base of basic research and development, which will lead to a rapid reduction in the amount of time the R&D team spends on data collection,” he continues. “They will quickly accumulate knowledge and experience, improving efficiency. Centric PLM will help us to define and standardize all aspects of the R&D process, which will ultimately enhance visualization and transparency.”
As the top fast fashion brand in China, UR is confident that Centric can deliver a PLM solution that will support the company’s rapid growth in China and abroad.
Li concludes, “We are looking forward to conducting a long-term cooperative business relationship with Centric Software, who is an excellent supplier. With the continuous development of Centric Software, we anticipate that Centric will help address new business challenges as UR continues to expand.”
“We would like to welcome UR, who will be our twenty-sixth customer in China since we opened our Shanghai office in 2014,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “UR is the top fast fashion company in China and is becoming a major player on the global stage. We are honored to be a part of UR’s rapid growth in the challenging and competitive world of fast fashion and look forward to a long partnership ahead.”