Case Study: Guitar Center grows from 160 to 210 stores without increasing headcount by improving forecasting and allocation with Quantum Retail

Guitar Cente - Customer Case Study

Guitar Center, the world’s largest musical retailer with over 7,000 SKUs and 210 stores, faced growing complexity in forecasting and allocation as customer tastes varied widely by region and store. To gain micro-level inventory visibility and close the gap between forecasting and allocation teams, Guitar Center engaged Quantum Retail to deploy its Q forecasting, allocation and replenishment application.

Quantum Retail implemented Q in phases—starting with high-velocity items and then higher-priced inventory—integrating with Guitar Center’s existing systems to automate store-level forecasts and allocations. The Q solution improved service levels within eight weeks and delivered measurable impact: enabled growth from 160 to 210 stores without increasing headcount, reduced forecasting errors by 50%, cut overall inventory by 10% (reducing over‑stocks by $8M and filling under‑stocks by $8M), and eliminated additional holiday backroom storage.

Guitar Center

Bret Hayden

Director of Business Process Design