Outdoor group accelerates omnichannel expansion

Fenix Outdoor Group, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based outdoor goods specialist Fenix Outdoor International AG, has boosted its international, omnichannel growth strategy. Fenix Outdoor Group will standardise its order fulfilment on the Manhattan SCALE system with initial deployments in its distributions centres in the US and Germany, followed by the Netherlands, Norway, China and Australia.
Fenix Outdoor Group develops and markets high-quality, low-weight equipment and clothing for outdoor activities under its Fjällräven, Tierra, Primus, Hanwag and Brunton brands, and sells through a combination of its own stores, retail partner stores and a growing online operation. The company’s major markets include North America, Germany and the Nordics as well as Australia.
Established in the 1950s, Fenix Outdoor has grown organically and through a series of acquisitions. Its 2015 purchase of Globetrotter, a German retail group, transformed the company from a predominantly wholesale-oriented business to a multi-channel commerce operator. The multiple, disparate systems it had inherited over the years were, however, hindering its further development. Fenix Outdoor therefore opted for a new warehouse and distribution management system to optimise its expanded business operation and to support its broader international and omnichannel growth ambitions.
Global supply chain director at Fenix Outdoor Group Marcel Gerrits commented: “With today’s consumers requiring exceptional shopping service, we are building our capabilities to provide a ‘best in class’ omnichannel one – offering our customers the goods they want, whenever and wherever they want them. We selected Manhattan as our chosen partner and its SCALE system that allows us to serve multiple channels from a single inventory pool. It also has on-the-ground support teams in all the geographies where we will deploy.”