Jan Linders counts on SAF RetailSuite Store to automate its store level replenishment

Jan Linders, one of the leading supermarket chains in the Netherlands, which is mainly located in the south-eastern part, will optimize its store level replenishment with SAF RetailSuite Store. The company decided to implement the SAF solution in its 54 supermarkets automating its store ordering process. SAF AG, which is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN CH0024848738), is one of the world’s leading software vendors of automated forecasting and ordering systems for retailers.

The driving force at Jan Linders for automating its replenishment process with SAF RetailSuite Store was to change from a mainly manual and time-intensive replenishment process to an automated, demand-driven ordering. “Jan Linders stands for high product quality and an excellent assortment of fresh products. By implementing SAF RetailSuite Store, we would like to optimally handle the special challenges of fresh products. That means reduction of transcriptions and inventory levels and at the same time ensuring higher product availability”, explained Wilmar Schuitenmaker, COO and CFO at Jan Linders.

SAF RetailSuite Store forecasts expected sales based on the historical sales data for each category of products and each store. The complexity of ordering approx. 12.000 items per store and especially fresh items can hardly be handled manually by ensuring a high ordering quality. “We are convinced that we can significantly improve our ordering quality and, in addition relieve our employees from the time-consuming ordering work with the support of SAF RetailSuite Store”, said Schuitenmaker.

“Our leading-edge technology combined with our expertise in retail convinced Jan Linders to choose SAF in the selection process of 5 software suppliers,” comments Udo Meyzis, Chief Executive Officer at SAF AG, in referring to the contract signing. “Fresh items present due to their short expiration date and the fast changing customer demands special challenges in the replenishment process for retailers. Our software already has proven that it can consider these and other factors in determining optimal order quantities”.
Jan Linders is the first customer in the Netherlands and the contract signing confirmed SAF’s strategy of expanding the direct business in new regions. The SAF software solutions and the in-depth understanding and experience in the different challenges and requirements of retailers convinced the company to start immediately with the roll out in 3 stores in August 2011. The company-wide implementation in all 54 stores will start in January 2012 and is expected to be finished end of the first quarter of 2012. Revenues from this license agreement will increase SAF’s revenues during the second quarter.