Ask the Expert: Why did the Betty Barclay Group start with Chainbalance? What goals have we achieved together, and what exciting milestones lie ahead?
We turned to the experts Florian Graf, Director Merchandise Management and Retail Operations, and Andreas Lachmann, Head of Merchandising Wholesale & Depot, to answer these questions. Do you want to know their insights? Watch the full interview below!
In this conversation, both experts reflect on the evolving demands of merchandise management, the need for intelligent digital tools, and the strategic decision to implement Chainbalance’s Smart Supply solution.
Florian begins by sharing a recent success: the restructuring of their Power BI setup in collaboration with Andreas. This initiative significantly improved transparency and data accessibility, making their day-to-day decision-making faster and more impactful, both internally and for their partners.
A new topic: the broader evolution of merchandise management within the Betty Barclay Group. Andreas emphasizes the growing importance of balancing customer-specific individuality with scalable automation. “We need intelligent tools that support the volume of decisions required, no one could handle it all manually.”, he notes. This points to a key theme: digital transformation is essential, but it must remain flexible enough to serve unique brand and customer needs.
That’s precisely why Betty Barclay chose Chainbalance. After evaluating various tools on the market, the team selected Chainbalance Smart Supply® for its combination of high automation and customizable capabilities. “Looking back on the pilot and our first year, we’ve developed incredibly well.”, Florian says. “It’s not just about results, we’re learning and evolving together.”
Indeed, the pilot phase proved vital. It validated whether Chainbalance could meet the company’s core goals: standardization, automation, and speed, while still allowing room for customization and adaptability. According to Andreas, the pilot was a clear success: “We’ve realized the goals we set. Speed has improved significantly, and we can better meet the expectations of our retail partners.”
Looking ahead, both Andreas and Florian agree that continuous learning and development is key. “We’ll make mistakes and that’s okay. What matters is that we keep learning how to better use the solution.”, Florian says. This mindset of agile collaboration drives their next set of goals.
Among the forward-looking initiatives discussed are:
- Precision in replenishment to optimize sell-through and gross profit
- Avoiding excess stock with low sales potential
- Exploring initial allocation logic for smarter distribution
- Testing Chainbalance's recommendation engine to suggest relevant products customers may have missed during ordering
These goals reflect a deep commitment to both data-driven strategy and innovation through co-creation. As the partnership progresses, the Betty Barclay Group continues to play an active role in co-developing new modules, expanding the value of Smart Supply for their own operations and the broader retail ecosystem.