Dynamics RMS simplifies chain store expansion.

 

Microsoft Dynamics™ Retail Management System installations

“For each new store, we painlessly replicate the software/hardware configurations and pre-populate inventory data. This helps make 5 to 10 percent annual growth very achievable.” Phy Abramson, Chief Operating Officer, Peekay.

 

Phyllis Heppenstall and daughter Kris founded Peekay, Inc. in 1980 as a direct-marketing company. They saw a market for adult products tastefully presented and sold. In six months, revenues had reached U.S.$500,000. Fiscal year 2007 ended with 31 stores and 20,000 daily transactions. As new marketing channels developed, an Apropos point-of-sale and inventory management system proved difficult to modify.

 

When Peekay’s initial three-store network of Microsoft Dynamics™ Retail Management System, installed by New West Technologies, demonstrated its worth in speed, ease, and flexibility, the comprehensive retail application was expanded chain-wide. Next, management chose Microsoft Dynamics GP to create an enterprise wide solution. Peekay and Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Tectura rethought and streamlined processes, clearing barriers so expansion can encompass several new stores a year.

 

Business Situation


Peekay, Inc., named for the first initials of founders and owners Phyllis Heppenstall and daughter Kris Butt, has become one of the nation’s largest and most rapidly growing retailers of romantic and adult products. Customers range in age from 18 to 78, and 60 percent are women.

 

Thirty-four tasteful stores, 20 in Washington and 14 in California, branded as Lovers, A Touch of Romance, and ConRev, discreetly display and partition from 3,500 to 5,000 SKUs so that their storefronts adhere to local expectations. Lingerie typically fills the front window, while other products reside in less visible areas of the store. The Tukwila, Washington, Lovers store is the largest, covering 15,000 square feet on three floors.
Phyllis and Kris founded Peekay in 1980 with U.S.$600 and within six months had recruited 32 representatives and reached half a million dollars in revenue. Their first store opened in 1982 in Auburn, Washington. Understanding the need to have their business accepted and promoted within each local market, Phyllis participated in civic activities and associations. She is a Founding Member and Advisory Committee Member of the Auburn Business Enterprise Center and an advisor to Free Speech Coalition. The company
earned Pacific Lutheran University’s Family Business of the Year Award.

 

Working Uphill


The combination of an aging retail and inventory system and Sage MAS 200 for payables and accounting constantly stifled Peekay’s plans to grow. Rex Bratton, Vice President of Finance says, “Very few people understood or could work with Apropos’ proprietary database, so we were on borrowed time. Finding staff or support for changes and updates was almost impossible. And that situation was only going to get worse.


“We needed a mainstream expansion solution using widely supported applications. If we
could smooth processes and provide information in ways our staff needed it each morning via electronic dashboards and operational reports, we knew our people would ensure growth. Our primary selection criterion was a fully integrated solution. All applications had to be on the same platform and transfer

 

Combining Solutions


Peekay tested a mini-network of Microsoft Dynamics™ Retail Management System (RMS) installations in three southern California stores. New West Technologies assisted with the roll-out and implementation. After meeting with several companies, Peekay selected Tectura to propose, coordinate, and install an enterprise-wide solution based on Microsoft® software. “We looked to Microsoft as our advisor,” says Bratton. “They had recommended Tectura as a strong Microsoft Gold [Certified] Partner to design and implement a complete enterprise solution.”

 

Phy Abramson, Chief Operating Officer at Peekay, says, “During interviews and demonstrations, managers and staff liked this solution. We decided to expand it to all stores because it worked well at the point of sale, for tracking stock, and had good store level reporting. Microsoft Dynamics RMS gave us the familiar Windows® feel. Touch-screen capability gave us a very fast way to train sales associates. Since our entire solution
would run on Microsoft SQL Server®, we knew we could develop our internal skills and readily find professionals trained on the Microsoft platforms and applications. Support was assured. Demonstrations showed us that added functionality was possible through add-on programs.”

 

 

Seeing is Believing

 

 

 

 

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Industry: Retail


Customer Profile: Started by mother and daughter in 1980, Peekay, Inc. has grown to 34 locations selling couples’ romantic products from well-appointed stores.

 

Business Situation
A decade-old point-of-sale system, hard-tomatch hardware components, and inadequate financial software slowed expansion. Further, finding people who knew how to use the proprietary database software the company used was difficult.


Solution:
A three-store test of Microsoft Dynamics™ Retail Management System proved successful, opening the door to a comprehensive solution that included
Microsoft Dynamics GP and Retail Analytics and Merchandise Planning (RAMP) from Professional Advantage.

 

Benefits:

  • Management gained time and new tools to open or remodel new stores annually.

  • Business-based purchasing rapidly and accurately replenishes shelves.

  • Quick staff training, thanks to logical
    POS screens and familiar user interface.

  • RITE Gift add-on replaced expensive giftcard provider.

  • Restructuring SKUs and rethinking
    processes opened gates to growth.