Building a Connected
Supply Chain for a
Department Store Network
An AI-ready foundation for stores, digital commerce and logistics modernization
INDUSTRY
RetailSOLUTION
Supply Chain Strategy & Transformation, Warehouse Operations & Automation, Transportation Optimization & Visibility
OFFERING
Strategic Supply Chain Assessment, Technology Strategy & Vendor SelectionTECHNOLOGY
Blue Yonder, Manhattan Associates, o9Digital commerce was growing.
Customer expectations were accelerating.
This international department store serves 15+ million customers across Mexico and Latin America, selling everything from apparel to housewares, appliances and furniture. And the supply chain behind it is massive: a private fleet of 2,000+ vehicles (plus contract capacity) moving product across first mile, middle mile and last mile—serving 26 DCs and replenishing 1,700+ stores, plus bulky-item direct-to-consumer white-glove delivery.
Their problem wasn’t scale. It was connected execution.
As the business grew, the operating model wasn’t consistently set up to deliver modern experiences like “buy online, pick up in store.” Inventory, fulfillment, and transportation decisions weren’t orchestrated end-to-end, which made BOPIS harder than it should be—and inconsistent in the moments that matter.
And inconsistency has a price. Customer satisfaction—NPS—became a boardroom lever to drive repeat customers and higher revenue.
Publicis Sapient had already supported the retailer in modernizing key digital platforms. The next step was bigger: connect digital growth to operational capability. Leadership understood that digital momentum only turns into revenue growth if retail operations can keep its promises.
So they reached out to Spinnaker SCA to define what their supply chain modernization journey should look like, how to execute the program across warehouse, transportation and inventory, and help them unlock the ability to grow revenue through expanded locations. In short, they needed a connected engine to make omnichannel reliable, not a set of disconnected system upgrades.
A reliable omnichannel engine
We built the supply chain “engine room”— i.e., the structure, sequencing and execution foundation required to make omnichannel dependable.
In partnership with Publicis Sapient, we helped the retailer define what end-to-end modernization needed to look like across warehouse, transportation and inventory, so improvements in digital commerce could be fulfilled reliably through their retail operations network. Then we translated that ambition into an executable program: clear workstreams, clear dependencies and a roadmap that could survive in the real world.
- 01 Align on outcomes
- 02 Phase Zero
- 03 Root cause constraints
- 04 Design the system
- 05 Value roadmap
Turn “modernization” into a shared definition of success
Our team facilitated cross-functional working sessions with business, IT and program leadership to align on the non-negotiables which were 1) customer experience (including BOPIS/ship-to-store patterns), 2) operational efficiency and 3) asset utilization.
Then we helped define what had to be true operationally to deliver make them happen.
Replace assumptions with operational reality
We led "Phase Zero" strategic assessments for warehouse operations and transportation to baseline the retailer's current state performance, constraints and operating friction across DCs, fleet operations, store replenishment and bulky-item delivery.
Fix the problem, not the symptom
We identified where the operating model and network execution were most likely to fail under growth—gaps in process, handoffs, controls and decision-making—so their remediation was tied to measurable outcomes, not assumptions.
Stop running projects—start running a transformation
We structured the supply chain modernization effort as a single program across warehouse operations, transportation operations, inventory management and the broader order-to-fulfillment ecosystem. This ensured it was aligned with OMS and POS improvements—complete with governance, sequencing and dependency management.
Building a long-run planning muscle
We built a 3 to 5-year roadmap that compounds value by sequencing the initiatives for greatest business impact.
We prioritized actions and created a pragmatic path forward—balancing quick wins with foundational changes—feeding a 3 to 5-year roadmap designed to scale capability, performance, and readiness for future AI enablement.
Beyond the click: Delivering on digital experiences
Digital modernization is the easy part to celebrate—new experiences, new journeys, new channels. The hard part is what happens after the click. This transformation was about connecting modern platforms to the physical network that fulfills the promise: DCs, fleet, store replenishment and last-mile delivery. That’s where the “engine room” work starts—and where transformation becomes real.
- End-to-end modernization program defined with clear dependencies across warehouse, transportation, inventory, OMS and POS—modernizing as a system, not disconnected launches
- Phase Zero execution clarity through baselines for warehouse operations and transportation, translated into a grounded, practical roadmap
- Omnichannel readiness with better alignment between stores and retail operations to support reliable fulfillment experiences (including ship-to-store) as demand and store locations expand
- Improved speed and efficiency using existing DC and fleet assets vs. “solve growth” by adding more
- Modern system architecture foundation built to ease their move to composable, API-driven integration and modern data structures to sustain agility and enable future AI
Create a connected experience from digital to delivery
If your digital roadmap has outpaced your operational capability, customers feel it first—then finance does.
We help retailers connect their brand promise to the physical network so it actually delivers.