Bramvia — Business Central Experts
What a retail chain needs from its ERP: central purchasing, a warehouse, POS in every store, stock synced with the web shop, store transfers, franchise royalties, cash and banks, and a P&L for each store. With the whole cycle in 3D.
Short answer: a retail chain needs an ERP that treats every store, the warehouse and the web shop as one stock. Purchasing is done centrally from what each store sells. Each store's POS keeps working offline, and the web shop only sells what exists. If you franchise, the ERP bills royalties on franchisee sales, and every month there is a P&L for each store. Walk through the whole cycle below and see what happens when the website sells stock you do not have.
The whole cycle of a retail chain
- Central purchasing: replenishment from each store's sales.
- Central warehouse: receiving, labeling and picking per store.
- In-store sales: connected POS that also works offline.
- Online and in-store stock: the website sells from real stock.
- Store-to-store transfers: spare stock goes where it sells.
- Franchises: franchisee orders, royalties and marketing fees.
- Cash and banks: cash-ups, card settlements and reconciliation.
- Profit per store: sales, margin, rent and staff.
What the ERP has to do
- One system for head office, warehouse and stores.
- Online and in-store stock sync: the website reads available stock per location, not last night's copy, so buy online, pick up in store works.
- Franchise management and POS: franchisees sell on their POS and head office bills royalties on those sales.
- Suggested transfers based on each store's sell-through.
- A P&L per store with dimensions, so you know which stores make money.
The POS side is covered in ERP with POS. Sales tax in the US and VAT in the UK are calculated per store and channel.
What Business Central has and what is added
Stock by location, transfers, purchasing, finance with dimensions and bank reconciliation are standard. Store POS comes from an integrated retail solution (LS Central, for example, is a full retail system built on Business Central) or from your current POS connected to it. The web shop connector depends on the platform (Shopify, Adobe Commerce, WooCommerce).
How we implement it
We start with two stores and the website: stock by location, connected POS and web shop sync. When that works, the other stores join one at a time, without closing any of them. Then come central purchasing from forecast sales, suggested transfers and, if you have franchises, royalty billing. You pay for each phase only after it is delivered and you accept that it works.
Signs you need it now: the website sells what is not there; stores ask each other for stock by phone; or you only learn which store makes money at year end.
FAQ
Can the website sell only what stores and the warehouse have? Yes, by syncing available stock per location with the web shop.
How are franchise royalties calculated? From each franchisee's POS sales: Business Central raises the agreed percentage as an invoice every month.
Can I see if a store is losing money? Yes. With the store as a dimension you see sales, margin, rent and staff for each one.
Related: ERP with POS and ERP for fashion and apparel.
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