Agent Provocateur uncovers benefits with new IT system

Agent Provocateur, the UK luxury lingerie retailer has announced it is taking on new, core enterprise resource planning (ERP) IT systems, based on the Microsoft Dynamics business software suite, to support its growing business.

Since starting its business in 1994, the company now has stores across 13 countries. As well as standalone shops, it operates a network of franchises, which all need to be integrated with the new, core system.

UK-based Dynamics partner and retail software developer, K3, will provide the new system to improve the company's product lifecycle management, from planning, product design, manufacture and shipping, through to merchandising, allocation and replenishment.

Andy Waters, Agent Provocateur's head of commercial operations said: "We chose K3 to provide and implement the Microsoft Dynamics solution as we need a system that can support a complex, multichannel, multi-site, growing business. We have ambitious expansion plans and need a scalable, multichannel platform that will drive growth."

He added that the choice of provider was important in terms of having the capability to provide international support and systems to manage global franchises. Currently, Agent Provocateur relies heavily on manual processes and Excel spreadsheets, which it said would not be able to support the company's expansion plans.

The new software will also provide critical path management, product data management and performance reporting, along with supplier and franchise web portals, to enable increased collaboration on orders and stock.

And the K3 offering also includes electronic point-of-sale (EPoS), merchandising, planning, warehouse and business intelligence tools, which the retailer will also use to manage its sales and marketing divisions, as well as monitor its finances. It will also integrate into Agent Provocateur's existing e-commerce systems.

Waters added: "The solution is low-risk, scaleable and will add value to and grow with our business, [as well as] support our existing IT portfolio. We will use K3's experience to install it and manage the day-to-day running."

The project is currently underway, with completion scheduled for June.

A 25-year veteran enterprise technology expert, Miya Knights applies her deep understanding of technology gained through her journalism career to both her role as a consultant and as director at Retail Technology Magazine, which she helped shape over the past 17 years. Miya was educated at Oxford University, earning a master’s degree in English.

Her role as a journalist has seen her write for many of the leading technology publishers in the UK such as ITPro, TechWeekEurope, CIO UK, Computer Weekly, and also a number of national newspapers including The Times, Independent, and Financial Times.