Expanding US Fashion Retailer rue21 Keeps On Top Of Trends With Maple Lake Assortment Planning Software
rue21 turns to Maple Lake for fast fashion planning
rue21, the US specialty apparel retailer with over 750 stores, has begun to implement Maple Lake assortment planning software. The technology has the potential to reduce markdowns and increase profitability by allowing the Company to constantly monitor and assort the newest trends for girls and guys between its store locations.
The teen retailer is growing rapidly, opening over a hundred stores a year. The company's continued expansion into new markets and fast turnaround of stock requires quick and accurate planning, and the software is being implemented to assist in identifying key trends and making sure the right products are destined for the right stores.
"In a ‘fast fashion' model, every store has a unique product mix and volume need, so with improved planning and allocation technology we intend to significantly improve our visibility and speed of response to these varying customer demands," said Mark Chrystal, Senior Vice President of Planning and Allocation, rue21.
rue21 offers a complete assortment of fashion apparel and accessories for girls and guys at competitively low prices. It continually reviews its merchandise assortment to reflect key fashion trends and ships daily deliveries of new merchandise to stores, all from its distribution center in Weirton, West Virginia.
"The challenge is ensuring merchandise levels match the continually changing store portfolio," said Stuart Aldridge, Chief Marketing Officer at Maple Lake. "Opening so many stores puts increased pressure on inventory levels, and without sufficient insight, there's far greater risk of over- or under-stocking, not to mention lost profits."
rue21 is currently implementing Maple Lake's merchandise and store planning software. The implementation of the Maple Lake QuickAssortment & QuickAnalytics software will begin in 2012.
About rue21, Inc.
rue21, Inc. is a leading specialty apparel retailer offering exclusive private label merchandise and the newest trends at great value. The company, based in Warrendale, PA operates 757 stores in 46 states throughout the US. For more information, visit www.rue21.com
About Maple Lake Ltd.
Maple Lake Ltd. is a software and services provider for specialty retailers worldwide. The company offers QuickAssortment, QuickAllocation and QuickAnalytics, a set of applications that refines assortment management, allocation planning and Open To Buy efforts for maximum sales and profitability. The company's customers represent 10,000-plus retail locations, including adidas Group, Aeropostale, Arcadia Group, Barneys New York, Columbia, Levi Strauss & Co. and Steve Madden. Maple Lake, a privately held company formed in July 2000, is based in Markham, Ontario, Canada, with offices in the United Kingdom and Australia. Maple Lake is a certified Microsoft partner. For more information, visit www.maplelake.com.
SOURCE: Maple Lake Ltd.