END Clothing partnered with Hitachi Solutions to replace legacy retail systems with a modern Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform spanning commerce, finance, and supply chain. The unified cloud solution supports omnichannel experiences across ecommerce and stores, improves stock visibility, and gives END faster, more accurate data to guide growth in luxury fashion retail.
The Customer
END. Clothing (END.) is a British retailer known for its curated selection of high-end streetwear, contemporary fashion, and exclusive collaborations. Founded in 2005 in Newcastle upon Tyne, END. has grown into a prominent global online retailer with brick-and-mortar stores across London, Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow. END. offers a diverse range of products, from trainers and apparel to accessories, catering to those seeking the latest trends and limited-edition items. The company is recognised for its commitment to quality, innovative designs, and exceptional customer service, making it a go-to destination for fashion-forward individuals. Milan is the latest store to open in early 2024, further building their brand identity across Europe, with sales coming through its e-commerce channel and over 60% of orders from outside the UK.
END.’s key objectives are to remain authentic to customers and industry partners and true to who they are. All business decisions are made with the customer in mind so the company can continue discovering the latest brands and finding unique trends to support the community with new products. This is underpinned by the initial passion END. began with almost 20 years ago.
The Challenge
END. has experienced rapid growth in recent years and recognised the need to upgrade its technology stack and processes. The previous systems showed inefficiencies and struggled to adapt to evolving business needs. The new focus is on creating scalable and stable technology that addresses areas that were previously not a priority.
The pre-existing systems had been heavily customised during growth, with changes and additions being made on an ad-hoc basis without a clear view of the wider business processes and the implications of the changes. This complicated gaining accurate business metrics and prevented END. from achieving a single version of the truth, having disparate systems with different information.
Global growth is a key priority for END., which started as a UK-centric business and is now achieving the majority of sales overseas. Therefore, reducing friction in serving international markets is crucial, with current process and technology limitations posing barriers. Building the right foundation is essential for supporting growth and encouraging adaptability.
There are two elements to END.’s transformation goals: a data strategy and relaunching ERP systems.
Data is key for an organisation like END.
Stephen Wilkinson
Head of IT
As part of END.’s focus on the importance of data, they identified significant challenges due to the lack of a coherent data strategy. They relied on an organically grown solution for business intelligence and data needs, resulting in a complex system that was difficult to manage. Stability issues arose from scheduled tasks that often failed, hindering the timely transfer of data into their data warehouse and impacting critical decision-making. To address these issues, the organisation aimed to enhance the stability of its end-to-end data platform, ensure timely delivery of accurate information, establish uniform data definitions across departments for consistent reporting, and curate reports more effectively by minimising manual manipulation in Excel.
The Solution
Project Clearview
In 2019, END. implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) Finance and later integrated Microsoft Dynamics 365 Warehouse Management System and Retail Commerce in 2022. Recognising opportunities to enhance efficiency and support their growing business, END. initiated ‘Project Clearview’. This project aimed to optimise the existing D365 systems by improving data processing, establishing consistent KPIs, and enhancing data quality and cleansing.
Hitachi Solutions was brought on board in early 2023 to initially conduct a rapid six-week discovery phase, which revealed that the current D365 configuration no longer met the business’s evolving needs and agreed on a roadmap to enhance the current systems.
The first step was to adapt the D365 systems to ensure all necessary data was accurately captured and set up for success. With a stable data foundation, END. could then proceed to the reporting and analytics project.
Hitachi Solutions has been amazing. They have come in with an area of expertise in D365, and they have been able to evaluate our current set-up and support us with optimising that system and getting the most out of it. They have also helped us move the system to be best in practice for retailers and leverage the tool for full capabilities.
Mel Unsworth
Chief Technology Officer
Reporting and Analytics
A robust reporting and Business Intelligence platform is crucial for the success of core business solutions. In the fast-paced retail fashion industry, quick decision-making backed by reliable data is essential for continued growth. The reporting and analytics project, utilising Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Fabric, enabled END. to accurately view its margins and business performance, helping manage the business, seize opportunities, and respond to market conditions. To address the previously mentioned challenges within the END. data strategy, the project enhanced the stability of its end-to-end data platform, ensured timely delivery of accurate information, established uniform data definitions across departments for consistent reporting, and enabled the curation of reports more effectively by minimising manual manipulation in Excel.
This project was not just about delivery, but also about empowering END. to use the technology independently through upskilling and collaboration. A key outcome of the project was the knowledge transfer from Hitachi Solutions to END., allowing their teams to self-serve in the future so that END. can take the technology and adapt it in-house with their internal teams as the business changes.
Hitachi Solutions have been fantastic in supporting our teams. Particularly in the data space where they have helped upskill some of our data analysts.
Parker Gunderson
Chief Executive Officer
Key Benefits:
Stronger financial reporting
Clearer product hierarchy
Concise, day-to-day usable data
Consistency of data across the business
Stability of the Dynamics 365 solution, ensuring timely data provision
Foundation for future advancements, including data science and AI
This comprehensive approach by Hitachi Solutions has significantly enhanced END.’s operational efficiency and data management capabilities, setting them up for future success.
The Future
The future for END. is to continue the strategic partnership, utilising the Hitachi Solutions team and their expertise to work collaboratively. As Hitachi Solutions continues to support END. with its future projects, AI will come into play and be of interest to END. Parker Gundersen, CEO, commented, “We see tremendous continued opportunity to leverage what has been built with Hitachi Solutions as we continue to move ahead down the transformation process, and they will continue to be a key partner for us”. Hitachi Solutions will continue to support END. and assess the areas of opportunity and the benefits they can get from leveraging new technology as they continue their global growth plans and ambitions, data being the key to knowing where they go next.
