The Foschini Group and iOCO Optimises the Supply Chain

The Foschini Group (TFG) is a South African fashion and lifestyle retailer with more than 22 brands selling clothing, footwear, jewellery, sportswear, mobile phones and homeware.

The group operates in 31 countries and has 2,500 stores across South Africa. It has recently expanded into the UK under the brands Phase Eight and Whistles.

TFG strives to be a leader in the fashion and lifestyle retail sectors in Africa. Its diverse brands enable the company to push the boundaries of the retail industry in new and innovative ways.

To ensure that goods reach its stores on time and meet customer expectations, TFG needs a transparent and effi cient supply chain. Optimising supply chain processes is therefore a strategic priority for the group.

Wayne Beckley, Senior Enterprise Architect at TFG, comments, “We were keen to improve visibility of the supply chain and establish greater automation. In particular we wanted our suppliers to be able to automatically notify us when goods were shipped.”

APIs (application program interfaces) are key to enabling secure and seamless integration between TFG’s own solutions and its partners’ systems. The group had various tools in place for integration but signifi cant development effort was required, which was costly and time-consuming.

To support the digitalisation of its business and supply chain, TFG turned to CA Technologies, a Broadcom company.

TFG implemented Layer7 API Gateway from CA Technologies, a Broadcom company to simplify integration between its disparate and distributed systems. “We selected the solution because its flexible policies enable us to govern and secure our APIs. It also works seamlessly with Active Directory,” explains Beckley.

Layer7 API Gateway enables organisations to securely expose and manage backend applications via APIs. As a result, TFG has been able to integrate its internal supply chain solutions with the merchandising systems used by its suppliers. “We now receive automated alerts to shipping updates so we can track deliveries easily and accurately,” affirms Beckley.

TFG is also using Layer7 API Gateway to integrate its ecommerce platform with internal stock management solutions. “By providing customers with visibility of stock levels when they view a product online, we can better manage their expectations,” adds Beckley.

In the future, TFG plans to use Layer7 API Gateway to integrate a range of mobile applications with its backend systems.

With the Layer7 API Gateway, TFG has been able to integrate and automate its supply chain without compromising security. “With integrated systems our users and customers can easily view the information they need whether they’re shopping online or using our internal systems,” comments Beckley.

Using the Layer7 API solution has helped the retailer to: