Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

CASE: Bram-Wear

Lenny Bram, owner and manager of Bram-Wear, was analyzing performance data for the men's clothing retailer. He was concerned that inventories were high for certain clothing items, meaning that the company would potentially incur losses due to the need for significant markdowns. At the same time, it had run out of stock for other items early in the season. Some customers appeared frustrated by not finding the items they were looking for and needed to go elsewhere. Lenny knew that the problem, though not yet serious, needed to be addressed immediately.

Background

Bram-Wear was a retailer that sold clothing catering to young, urban, professional men. It primarily carried upscale, casual attire, as well as a small quantity of outerwear and footwear. Its success did not come from carrying a large product variety, but from a very focused style with an abundance of sizes and colors.

Bram-Wear had extremely good financial performance over the past five years. Lenny had attributed the company's success to a group of excellent buyers. The buyers seemed able to accurately target the style preferences of their customers and correctly forecast product quantities. One challenge was keeping up with customer buying patterns and trends.

The Data

To determine the source of the problem, Lenny had requested forecast and sales data by product category. Looking at the sheets of data, it appeared that the problem was not with the specific styles or items carried in stock; rather, the ...