Saudi Arabia-based Azizia Panda United Co (APU) has selected an integrated suite of Oracle solutions to optimise its core retail operations.

The company that operates 102 supermarkets under 'Panda' and 47 hypermarkets as 'HyperPanda' across the kingdom and the UAE, identified Oracle systems as key to increase its market share by growing existing and new business models, said a statement.

The applications will cover retail, corporate, and warehouse management solutions, it said.

‘Oracle Retail Merchandising Operations Management’ solutions will help to streamline and integrate operations, optimise inventory management, enhance pricing and improve the value of data across the business.

The chain plans to use ‘Oracle Retail Merchandising Analytics’ and ‘Oracle Retail Customer Analytics’ to provide insights into critical performance indicators that track sales, margin, inventory and supplier activities, to drive more profitable decisions and enhance the customer experience.

It will also use components of ‘Oracle Retail Merchandise Planning’, ‘Oracle Retail Supply Chain Planning and Execution’ and ‘Oracle Retail Stores’ solutions to enhance inventory lifecycle from planning and forecasting, through the supply chain and into stores, improving buying and management of products, particularly fresh and non-food items.

Other applications include the Oracle E-Business Suite, Intelligence, as well as the Oracle Database and several components of Oracle Fusion Middleware to create an end-to-end enterprise platform.

Building on its existing deployment of Oracle E-Business Suite Financials, Panda plans to adopt a flexible deployment strategy that delivers rapid results to sustain its future development and growth, said the statement.

“To achieve our corporate goals and expansion initiatives, we need the right systems, processes and people in place,” said Fawaz Kilfaden, APU IT director.

“Oracle will support our current and future business strategy, enabling us to diversify and build our brand, improve our speed to market, and qualify and manage risks and opportunities moving forward.” - TradeArabia News Service