Case Study: Ackermans achieves faster automated store allocations and improved assortments with Blue Yonder

Across more than 450 stores, Ackermans meets consumers’ fashion needs via Blue Yonder solutions

Ackermans, a 95‑year‑old South African retailer with more than 450 stores, was struggling with a manual, labor‑intensive allocation process that required planners to type allocations from long lists with no consumer‑demand input. That hit‑or‑miss approach led to misplaced stock, missed sales opportunities at the store level, slow cycle times and high planning overhead.

By implementing JDA Allocation and JDA Enterprise Planning (with JDA services and UCS Solutions) in about three months and adding a “consumer‑need” variable, Ackermans cut per‑item allocation from ~20 minutes to 2–5 minutes and shortened the end‑to‑end process from two days to about an hour. Planners now handle roughly twice as many items, assortments are better matched to local demand, planning costs have dropped, and stores consistently stock the right products.

Ackermans

Renee Jain

Supply Chain Systems Manager