Karen millen

Inter City Group deploys tech firm to grow watch accounts

Inter City Group is expecting to boost its sales after inking an agreement with online retail engine, which will help it further integrate its extensive watch portfolio with existing customers and open doors to new ones.

The designer and manufacturer of Swiss luxury brands has drawn up a roadmap with Anatwine that projects activity in at least 20 territories by 2017.

The first tie-up involves Germany, with an integration planned with Berlin based e-retailer, Zalando, to further promote its watch brands including SuperDry, Karen Millen, French Connection and Ben Sherman.

Tony Harris, international commercial director at Inter City Group, said the company expects the partnership to bolster revenues and move its business forward in 2016.

“We’re a private business that’s been trading very successfully for the past 30 years,” he said. “We deal with most of the major retailers in the UK already along with a number of very strong distributors and retailers around the world, but we see Anatwine as the future of ecommerce. This truly is an internationally progressive step for us.”

Inter City Group will use Anatwine as its integration platform with the retailers it is currently dealing with, but it also sees it as a great way to expand its reach to new retailers in new territories.

“It’s an exciting opportunity that we believe presents the most efficient route to consumers the world over,” continued Harris. “Theoretically, it’s a very profitable way to do business and also means the SKUs in our warehouse – of which there are more than 1,000 – can be made available online as part of a perfect stock mix.”

The Anatwine integration process will start with the business analysis of both brand and retailer. Anatwine documents the service level agreements of the retailer, then works with the brand to ensure it is matched and maintained, starting with product information and media and moving on to the sales cycle.

This enables the brand to fulfil orders while matching the retailer’s documentation and delivery SLAs. The process completes with aligned customer services and returns functions, which empower the brand and retailer to act as one, producing a seamless experience for the customer.

“For us, it’s about finding the best fit between brand and retailer to maximise opportunity for all parties,” added Harris. “By partnering with Anatwine, we are not only ensuring the retailer can stock new brands without the risk, but ultimately providing the consumer with more choice to try new things, which isn’t necessarily possible with traditional buying methods.”

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