Supply chain optimization provider Manhattan Associates, Inc. has announced that Empik, Poland's leading lifestyle retail brand, offering an extensive range of cultural, knowledge and entertainment products, has selected Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution (WMS) for Open Systems to run its 10,800 square metres warehouse in Warsaw.

According to Manufaturing and Logistics IT, Empik's primary objective was to select a system that could manage the company's growth plans which include building its store portfolio from 120 to 300 outlets within 3 years, and expanding its online sales offering.

Empik, which offers products including books, CDs, DVDs, new technologies and multimedia games, had previously operated a direct, 'supplier-to-store' model, where goods were shipped from producers and distributors directly to stores. Following rapid growth over a two-year period during which Empik saw its retail network grow from 60 to 120 stores, it decided it would need to move to a centralized distribution structure to effectively accommodate future growth. Already handling over two million products every month from 300 suppliers, the creation of a systems-driven central warehouse would facilitate rapid growth and at the same time improve availability and overall service quality.