Assortment Planning and Allocation

Finding the right mix

Prior to joining PwC Canada’s Retail Consulting Services practice, our consultants played key roles in planning and allocation at major retailers. They have worked extensively with more than 15 retailers in the past three years in the following areas:

• Planning and allocation functional assessments – maximizing the return on investment from your existing efforts and investments in people, process, and systems
• Selecting and improving leading planning and allocation systems – ensuring that properly designed processes and organization design precede technology implementation to strengthen the returns on information technology (IT) investments
• Managing organizational change and providing coaching – creating the right organizational alignment, role design and capabilities, given that enhanced knowledge and behaviours are crucial for ensuring widespread adoption and mastery of new processes and information systems

We have markedly improved planning and allocation at many retailers.

Our Retail Consulting Services practice is your strategic partner to increase gross margins in planning and allocation for four reasons:

We possess leading approaches to improving planning and allocation

• We have led 15 major planning and allocation engagements in the past three years, from enhancing existing process and systems to implementing leading software applications
• We have invested heavily in primary proprietary industry research to understand how leading retailers have improved planning and allocation
• We continually improve our knowledge through continuously developing our people and hiring the best and the brightest from retail

We seek quick wins and focus on managing organizational change

• We are intensely focused on "paying the way" through near-term process and policy improvements
• We focus on helping retailers define key roles in planning and allocation, and then coaching their people to master those roles. From benchmarking more than 20 planning and allocation organizations at leading retailers, we know how to build highly collaborative and effective planning and allocation functions

We take practical and cost-effective approaches to managing systems implementations

• We won't recommend new technology for newness’ sake. We help clients get the most out of their existing investments before recommending new IT investments. Our clients do not want to be on the bleeding edge of technology. They want proven technology applied judiciously
• Our consultants have implemented planning and allocation systems many times and have experience with all of the major software providers
• We are "software independent" while still being intimately knowledgeable with the leading systems. We represent only the retailer's best interests in the important process of selecting and implementing software. This ensures that a retailer gets the best technology for its business

We have deep experience in all the key fashion and seasonal retail sectors

• We have worked extensively with specialty apparel chains, big box and department store chains

Contact us to find out how we can help your business.