When Tourvest Heinemann Duty Free Nigeria opened a world-class duty free store in Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as part of its growth strategy into Africa, the company chose Axle Control retail software from End2End Retail to power its operations.
This is the newly-formed company’s first foray into the African airport duty free retail business, supported by its partner Gebr Heinemann, the sixth largest duty free operator in the world.
The new store is situated in the International Departures terminal and includes a “boutique area”, carrying the luxury brands Mont Blanc and Porsche Design.
“We have a strong relationship with End2End Retail, and have been operating with the Axle system for 12 years in more than 60 destination retail stores in airports and multiple tourist destinations across South Africa,” says Samantha Robinson, Chief Operations Officer of Tourvest Duty Free Retail. “The software solution was originally developed for Tourvest’s specific needs. When we decided to launch the duty free retail business at Lagos airport, we wanted to implement a system we were familiar with, and which would allow for a relatively seamless implementation as the relationship was already in place.
“Although duty free retail has a slightly different model from our destination business, End2End Retail already had a solid understanding of our business needs.”
Developed in South Africa, Axle Control retail software is distributed and maintained by End2End Retail. The software caters for the multi-chain retailer and covers business operations both instore and at head office in one streamlined solution. It comprises PoS, merchandising – including purchasing, stock management and reporting, business intelligence, planning and financials, and it provides integration into Tourvest’s international suppliers. The new implementation also had to meet all the conditions of a duty free environment, as well as taking into account multiple currencies and diverse banking requirements.
“It’s a comprehensive system which will enable us to effectively run our business from the front end (POS) right through to the financials,” adds Robinson. “Axle has proven itself in our destination business and we are confident that it will perform well in Nigeria.”
Robinson says the detailed analysis, extensive reporting systems, and effective inventory control provided by Axle will enable Tourvest Heinemann Duty Free Nigeria to manage stock levels and react quickly when it comes to stock replenishment, as well as comprehensive financial controls which will be handled by Tourvest’s head office in South Africa and its partner’s logistical centre in Hamburg.
“Axle Control is able to run multiple companies for an expanding business with diverse retail operations,” says Sonja Leoncini, CEO of End2End Retail Technology. “The solution has been successfully deployed in a variety of retail verticals and offers all the functionality required to effectively run a profitable retail business. It’s also geared to accommodate expansion into countries throughout Africa and globally. Knowing that we can successfully deploy our solution offshore means that we will now offer it to other retailers that have international operations.”
Leoncini says the solution provides Tourvest with a full suite of modules to support its requirements for driving business growth. “With Axle Control, development and customisations are easy to perform, maintain and implement. It is a seamless software package that has strong functionality and features backed by reliable software services.”
Where feasible to do so, Tourvest is likely to consider Axle for other offshore retail expansions that the company embarks on to provide it with a consistent global business software platform. “For our customers, it ensures efficiency and stability for processing sales transactions on the front-end,” says Robinson. “From our point of view, we are also impressed with the service levels provided by End2End, which were comprehensive over the period of implementation. A high level of support was provided throughout.”
