forecasting, inventory planning, retail

Harding+ and Dataviva complete project to implement Improved Demand Forecast & Inventory Planning

11 January 2024

Leading global cruise retailer Harding+ and next gen planning platform provider Dataviva have announced the successful completion of a complex supply chain planning project to upgrade Harding+ forecasting and replenishment capabilities. Through increased automation, accuracy, and process alignment, Harding+ and Dataviva aim to bring significant improvements to the planning and execution process that will drive product availability. Harding+ now starts to implement the use of Dataviva across the business to deliver these benefits to cruise customers.

Mark Birnie, Harding+ Chief Operating Officer, has described the outcome as “a revolutionary system that will fundamentally change and improve our replenishment planning processes. Simplification and automation matter for all parties in the cruise retail mix, and the successful Dataviva implementation delivers significantly against both of those agendas.”

The project has seen a substantial time and resource investment from Harding+, and our expectations are high for the pilot areas going live. The results will enable faster planning decisions, better teamwork and integration, and significant return on capital invested from the elegant design and advanced machine learning (ML) capabilities the Dataviva system delivers.

Dataviva CEO Costas Malamas adds “Our mission is to deliver ROI to our customers. We help businesses tick more smoothly and make smarter predictions across their Supply Chain. The Harding+ project has been uniquely challenging but satisfying, working with an end-to-end Supply Chain that is one of the most complex I’ve seen – delivering across the globe to stores that move!”

As Mark Birnie adds “Harding+ is a business with long term commitment to data mining, gathering and understanding, already investing in over 30,000 guest surveys to help educate our product range and design choices. Matching up those inputs with the sharpest of response and planning systems with Dataviva to make sure we deliver consistently on availability and partner value to match the strategy is a first in the cruise industry. And very much in line with our business purpose of making every cruise better.”

The Dataviva partnership will be an ongoing part of the Harding+ operational model in delivering depth of value and accuracy across the business. The partnership will also live in richer forms of added value too, with the data and insights uncovered and actioned becoming part of a wider sharing strategy for the benefit of all Harding+ partners, and helping to feed events, case studies and trade fairs as part of a best-in-class collaboration model.

Starting with National Retail Federation Show (‘NRF 2024’) in January in New York, where Costas Malamas and the Dataviva team will be showcasing and sharing the Harding+ partnership as part of a live case study.

About Harding+

Harding+ is the number 1 global cruise retailer by size, working as partners with 17 different cruise line operators across the globe, and with 90+ cruise ships in operation or under contract.

We create memorable shopping experiences with a ‘Quaternity’ Partnership approach between our business, our cruise line partners, brand partners, and customers.

The business has central hubs in Bristol, Miami, and Sydney, employing over 1100 team members on board ships, and 250 landside.

The 300+ shops Harding+ operates cover 17000 m², and deliver over 4.4m transactions per year