Dunnes Stores

Project Summary

Dunnes Stores is a leading Irish retailer in grocery, homewares, and fashion with over 130 stores located nationwide. Having enjoyed a successful 20+ year relationship with Dunnes providing office supplies, Codex was pleased to be awarded the tender to supply all their internal print and stationery.

Following a very competitive process, Codex successfully won the tender based on its competitive pricing and through its ability to supply both print and stationery products to the customer, therefore enabling Dunnes to consolidate suppliers. As a result of its in-house logistical capabilities, Codex was also able to manage the storage and distribution of key print lines, ensuring continuity of supply to all Dunnes stores.

The Challenge

In order to ensure quality products at the best pricing, the Codex team liaised with a number of suppliers both in Ireland and internationally. Samples were prepared of all printed items prior to sign off and product testing was conducted to ensure compatibility of all products with the existing equipment in situ.

Being able to guarantee supply of key operational items as needed by its large network of stores was a key requirement for Dunnes. In order to achieve this, the Codex Print & Design team had to first review historic average usage to accurately forecast the appropriate levels of printed stock to hold onsite in order to be able to fulfil orders at all times.

With a vast network of stores throughout Ireland, Codex needed to understand the bespoke ordering and fulfilment requirements of the customer and ensure this process was clearly communicated and understood internally from the beginning. A detailed process map was prepared to ensure clarity of each required step in order for the partnership to operate efficiently.

The Strategy

Once the tender was awarded, Codex appointed a dedicated Account Manager as the first point of contact with Dunnes to ensure the partnership worked effectively and to establish a clear line of communication between Codex and all the key stakeholders at Dunnes throughout each step.

Codex was able to automate the stock process for all key Dunnes lines through Nav. Using data related to stock levels and lead time, the system automatically generates an order for reorder quantities as soon as stock falls to a certain level to ensure continuity of supply and that all items are delivered on time.

All stock of the pre-printed items for Dunnes are stored onsite in Codex’s large storage facility in Dublin. This allows Dunnes to avail of economies of scale by printing in larger quantities that can then be stored and ready to pick when required. Through the in-house logistical team, Codex are able to provide nationwide distribution to all 134 Dunnes of all stationery and print items in one delivery.

The Result

Codex currently manage more than 1,300 picks and 150 deliveries to the Dunnes network each month. By providing a complete solution to Dunnes internal print and stationery requirements, they were able to reduce suppliers and streamline ordering. As well as availing of competitive pricing, the storage capabilities of Codex, ensure continuity of supply and delivery of key lines to all Dunnes stores across Ireland when needed.