Lidl has started the roll-out a new merchandise management and information system (eLWIS), based on SAP for Retail powered by SAP HANA, provided in partnership with KPS.
The system has been piloted in Austria and will be implemented across the remaining countries, including the UK, over the next couple of years.
Lidl operates around 10,000 stores and more than 140 distribution centres in 27 European countries.
It needed a centralised, future-proof system with greater functional scope, integration capabilities and enhanced end-to-end process management.
The merchandise management system, based on SAP for Retail, was developed with KPS, to replace the legacy system which had reached its limits in terms of sustainability, and the potential for further development and was hampered by gaps in process continuity, redundant master data management and process breaks.
“We were looking to map integrated process chains right through from the vendor to the customer ‒ rather than individual functions. This new platform is making us fit for the future,” said Alexander Sonnenmoser, divisional board member for business technology at Lidl.
Lidl can now make inventory data and reports available in near real time and provide key information to adjacent systems. The company has also been able to replace vertical processes with horizontal ones to create a seamless supply chain from the vendor to the customer. The standards developed for eLWIS will form the basis for implementing the system in all countries of Lidl’s operations.
