The world of wholesale retail is changing at lightning speed. Customers demand 100% availability, while margins are under pressure from inflation and high inventory costs. This forces retailers to make a crucial decision: do we keep doing everything inside our ERP, or do we add purpose-built intelligence where it really matters?
Many organizations run finance and supply chain on SAP or Microsoft Dynamics 365. Excellent for transactions and master data. But when it comes to the intelligence behind forecasting & replenishment, standard functionality often falls short.
In wholesale retail — with tens of thousands of SKUs, volatile promotions, and complex omnichannel flows — traditional planning breaks down. ERPs often lack the logic to optimize inventory holistically across the entire network, from DC to store.
⚡ In Practice: Why Market Leaders Choose RELEX Solutions
Leading players show that a specialized platform alongside the ERP is becoming the new standard for operational precision:
- Tractor Supply Company (TSC): orchestrates thousands of stores by automating forecasting and replenishment. They link inventory optimization directly to shelf space to guarantee maximum availability.
- Rexel Frankrijk: transformed its entire supply chain planning. The ERP remains the stable backbone, while the specialized computing power of RELEX Solutions ensures fine‑tuned alignment between demand and supply.
- Blain’s Farm & Fleet (USA): recently modernized (September 2025) their operations by translating demand patterns directly into faster replenishment cycles. The result: fewer out‑of‑stocks without clogging up distribution centers.
These cases show that RELEX Solutions is not an add‑on module, but a strategic choice for companies with many SKUs, many locations, and complex demand patterns.
🚨 Why This Matters
Stockouts cost revenue, and excess inventory burns cash. In a market where every percentage point of margin counts, a hybrid stack is no longer a luxury:
- Speed: automate the bulk of decisions so planners can focus on exceptions.
- Control: maintain the stability of your core systems for transactions.
- Precision: leverage computing power built specifically for the wholesale puzzle.
- Intelligence: use machine learning to handle complex promotional and seasonal effects.
💡 The Final Conclusion
The shift is clear: retailers looking to manage scale, complexity, and margin pressure are combining their ERP with specialized intelligence. It’s less a trend, and more an inevitable evolution in wholesale retail.