Christchurch based Kathmandu, a premium retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment recently selected Lawson to supply Movex, a complete e-collaboration business solution, supported by ISL Australia's Enabler point of sale software throughout its entire operation.

Extraordinarily strong growth over the last three years has meant the company could not continue to effectively manage its operations with its existing systems. Kathmandu now has 22 stores in most major Australian and New Zealand cities, with several more scheduled to open in the near future. Group turnover exceeds NZ$80 million per annum and the company employs over 350 staff throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Adding complexity to Kathmandu's requirements for a complete solution were its highly successful sales promotions at Christmas, Easter and in spring, which place extreme demands on their systems due to the lift in transaction volumes to supermarket type levels.

This condensed and intense demand meant Kathmandu needed a stronger Point of Sale capability than was available in their current systems, along with sophisticated techniques to manage stock distribution across the retail network.

Movex will replace existing modules from the Intech suite that have been in use for some years.  

Kathmandu's brand strength, along with an extremely well supported "Summit Club" customer loyalty programmed has been critical to its success.

Movex will assist the company to strengthen another pillar of its competitive advantage – the integrated control of its purchasing, distribution and retailing functions. The product range has expanded in line with retail growth and includes a wide variety of activewear for all seasons, footwear, bags and packs, sleeping bags, tents and general travel accessories.

The implementation is scheduled to go live in early 2002.