Anne Fontaine and UPS

Quote:

"To maintain our image as a best-in-class brand, keep a firm foothold in the international market and secure our business growth, we needed a reliable partner with a robust worldwide network. UPS's solid image and efficient delivery times made it attractive to Anne Fontaine as a logistics partner. What's more, UPS's tailor-made olutions and 24/7 parcel-tracking facilities make UPS the partner of choice for Anne Fontaine"

Anne Fontaine: high-end blouses

Named after its founder, the company Anne Fontaine is renowned for its collections of white blouses, and more recently for its range of jackets, pullovers, fine leather goods and line of accessories. The collections are updated twice a year with a hundred or so new models, each of which is characterised by its unique design and is made with the highest-quality materials.

Based in Honfleur in the Normandy region of Calvados, Anne Fontaine is a family business that currently employs over 450 people around the world. Since its inception, the brand has grown considerably internationally, first in Europe, expanding to the US and then worldwide. These days Anne Fontaine generates half of its revenues from extra-Europe exports, particularly to China, Japan and the US.

The Challenge: Meeting worldwide stocking requirements within tight deadlines

Anne Fontaine markets its products via a worldwide network which includes 70 wholly-owned stores as well as outlets in department stores and with multi-brand distributors across the globe.

A contributing factor to the success of the company is meeting its clients' and endcustomers' needs by consistently providing them with a wide range of products, wherever and whenever they need them. With the company growing on three continents, the company faced the considerable challenge of continuing to meet clients' needs on time whilst facing the logistical challenge of feeding a network of some 700 outlets spread across varying global locations.

Anne Fontaine ships some 80 parcels across Europe¹, North America and Asia every day, and uses a just-in-time inventory system by keeping all its stock at the brand's head office. UPS enables Anne Fontaine to ship its products anywhere in the world within extremely tight deadlines according to the stores' restocking needs.

UPS provides solutions for Anne Fontaine

Since 2006 Anne Fontaine has entrusted UPS with all its shipments across Europe and to the US and Asia in order to replenish its stores. Tailor-made solutions were developed by UPS to meet the company's specific and evolving needs.

For each different destination, Anne Fontaine uses a specific service geared to specific needs. For example, for shipments across Europe the company uses UPS Express Saver^SM, for delivery the next day to all stores. For US orders, they use UPS Express NA1^SM, a trans-Atlantic next day service that allows the company to accurately plan delivery times and satisfy the restocking requirements of US stores within very short deadlines. Lastly, for shipments to Asia, Anne Fontaine also uses UPS Express Saver service: factoring in the time difference, parcels are received within 48 hours in Japan and within 72 hours in China.

UPS also offers the company visibility on their parcels' whereabouts, which is fundamental to a company that needs to ensure its products reach their resellers on time. Moreover, UPS has developed a unique, tailor-made interface with Anne Fontaine's IT system which allows employees to extract the necessary elements from its software to print labels directly from the system. This solution improves the company's efficiency in dealing with everyday export operations.

Results

UPS's tailor-made transportation services and solutions drive and support Anne Fontaine's international development. The special relationship that has forged between the two companies has helped create a reliable and robust supply chain around the world. Thanks to this partnership, Anne Fontaine can satisfy its stores' needs on time, thereby optimising sales.

In addition, UPS's on-time solutions have allowed Anne Fontaine to keep total control over its stock. The company has maximised efficiencies, streamlined and simplified its supply chain. Thanks to UPS's online tracking, Anne Fontaine has real-time visibility over the progress of shipments to resellers and can inform its own clients quickly to meet end-customer demands.

"To maintain our image as a best-in-class brand, keep a firm foothold in the international market and secure our business growth, we needed a reliable partner with a robust worldwide network. UPS's solid image and efficient delivery times made it attractive to Anne Fontaine as a logistics partner. What's more, UPS's tailor-made olutions and 24/7 parcel-tracking facilities make UPS the partner of choice for Anne Fontaine", explains Ari Zlotkin, CEO of Anne Fontaine.

¹ Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland