- The five-year agreement entered into in conjunction with SAP forms part of Mercadona’s strategic plan for digital transformation aimed at optimising all its processes, and it will entail a large-scale deployment of SAP software and services.
Mercadona, a 100% Spanish-owned and run leading chain of supermarkets, has signed a contract with SAP Spain for the development and execution of its entire digital transformation project.
This five-year agreement entered into in conjunction with SAP forms part of Mercadona’s digital innovation plan to transform and optimise all its supply chain processes (supply, logistics, finance, human resources, store management and customer relations), and it will entail a large-scale deployment of SAP software and services. It will all be managed from SAP’s private cloud, allowing for reducing implementation risks in a fully scalable, safe environment from which all the mission critical applications will operate, and by means of an integrated solution that will simplify Mercadona’s IT (information technology) management and infrastructure.
SAP’s S/4 HANA platform, which was designed to constitute the digital backbone of companies, will enable Mercadona to eliminate traditional recurrent issues between transactional, analytic and planning systems, providing immediate information including real-time analysis, in addition to simplifying and comprehensively standardising processes and technologies by means of a system that eliminates data replication, conciliations and redundancies. All of this will allow Mercadona to obtain pinpointed, trustworthy, real time data from any point in its processes.
Mercadona will also adopt SAP’s specific suite for the Retail industry, designed to aid companies in the retail and distribution sector meet with the demands of the digital economy, providing support throughout all the basic distribution processes, from master data management to point of sale, which will allow Mercadona to provide the very best experience and service for the “Bosses” (clients).
SAP’s new solution will allow for carrying out operational data analysis to the utmost level of granularity, for instance, obtaining precise stock level evaluations - providing contextual, real time information that allows for making swifter decisions that are more integrated in accelerated mission critical processes, like restocking logistics platforms and stores. This real-time information will allow Mercadona to predict the changing needs of both its “Bosses” (clients) and the market, facilitating decision-making.
The project will also entail the implementation of SAP Success Factors, a Human Resources management platform that will cover all Mercadona’s 79,000 employees and that will bring about the digitalisation of its processes in this key area. The new platform will allow for management to be more autonomous and participatory in terms of coordinating teams and managing talent. In addition to the areas of recruitment, payroll and training, Mercadona will also have a solution in place that will allow for planning and managing its human resources as a key asset.
In short, Mercadona’s decision to invest in the comprehensive services offered by SAP, which will bring about innovative, game-changing progress for the company, will allow it to respond more swiftly to the needs of its “Bosses” (clients), employees and suppliers, gaining in flexibility and efficiency whilst guaranteeing the service of excellence Mercadona has always been known for, as well as increasing the possibilities of making the most of new opportunities in the future.
According to Mercadona’s Managing Director for IT Aleix Juan, “implementing SAP in our processes will allow us to benefit from having unified, seamless computing that takes into account business processes, and which we may add more value to”.
In turn, João Paulo da Silva, SAP’s Managing Director for Spain, Portugal and Israel adds that “by taking this step, Mercadona is set to become one of the first Spanish companies to opt for a far-reaching, digital transformation model. We are highly satisfied with this agreement that will allow us to solidify the close, trust-based relationship our companies enjoy”
About Mercadona
Mercadona is a Spanish-owned, family run chain of supermarkets that closed 2016 with a total revenue of 21,623 million euros (+4%) and a profit of 636 million euros (+4%). The company currently boasts 1,620 supermarkets in Spain, and it has a 79,000-strong workforce operating in stable, quality employment, all going about their professional activities in order to satisfy the needs of the 5.1 million homes that place their trust in Mercadona on a daily basis.
About SAP
As market leader in business software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and markets improve their business operations. From administrative tasks to those that are inherent to boardrooms or warehousing, desktop computers or mobile devices, SAP strengthens professionals and organisations alike in order that they may work together in a more efficient manner, and so they may maximise the use of their corporate vision to secure a spot at the forefront of the competition. SAP’s applications and services allow its more than 350,000 clients to obtain profitability, continuously adapting to changes and growing in a sustainable manner. For more information, go to www.sap.com.