Building the Foundation for Future-Ready Buying at Zeeman
How technology, teamwork and transformation empower sustainable growth
At a glance
Zeeman set out to transform its buying department by rethinking the way it works with agents and suppliers, and by replacing outdated IT systems.
IG&H partnered closely with Zeeman to help shape this transformation: redesigning the agent and supplier model, implementing a new buying system and exploring opportunities for automation within the CSR team.
Together, we laid a solid foundation for future-proof operations that align with Zeeman’s values of people, planet and profit.
As one of Europe’s largest textile discounters, Zeeman has grown significantly over the years. With that growth came complexity, ranging from a larger assortment and expanded store network to a growing number of suppliers across different countries.
To stay aligned with its mission of providing fair and accessible textile basics, Zeeman identified two key priorities for its buying department in 2024 and beyond: strengthening relationships with agents and suppliers, along with modernizing its buying system.
While Zeeman had built strong, long-term partnerships over time, there was a need for a more balanced portfolio and a data-driven dialogue to reduce operational risks. At the same time, their existing IT system lacked the functionality to manage article data and stock levels at the level of detail the business now required.
By addressing both the supplier strategy and the underlying systems, Zeeman aimed to build a smarter, more resilient buying operation.
Creating a foundation for the future
Over the course of 18 months, IG&H became an extension of the Zeeman team. With deep expertise in retail, technology and data, we collaborated across functions to deliver lasting change from the inside out.
We worked side by side with Zeeman to reshape the agent set-up, starting with the strategic design and selection of a new agency. In the short term, we also stepped in to support operational tasks, giving us a clear view of what was needed to make the structure future-proof.
"Zeeman and IG&H worked together intensively and successfully to achieve our strategic buying goals. The partnership felt seamless — one team, one task. IG&H brought in the right people and expertise to strengthen our foundation and prepare us for the future."
Erica Roolvink-Schartman | Buying and CSR Director at Zeeman
Together, we redesigned supplier management strategy, through a series of workshops fueled by data analysis. Action plans were made by the buying department to act upon the renewed strategy. By defining KPI’s and developing a supplier scorecard in PowerBI, we were able to track performance.
In parallel, we led the implementation of a new buying system, assisting Zeeman in setting up requirements to go-live and hypercare. We mapped all core buying processes (from article creation to order confirmation) to ensure the system met real-world needs. We coordinated the alignment and set-up of all integrations, to ensure the new system is integrated seamlessly with other existing systems within Zeeman. Change management was a key part of the journey, because the system requires the entire procurement department to adopt a new way of working. For this adoption to be successful, clear communication and hands-on training for all internal departments, agents and suppliers was needed.
Lastly, to strengthen CSR data management, we piloted a new application built with Microsoft Power Platform, which proved to be a lightweight yet powerful solution to automatically gather and validate data directly from suppliers. This was a useful experiment towards exploring possibilities to replace manual data collection.
Zeeman now has the strategic and digital foundations in place to grow sustainably thanks to a modern buying system, a balanced and resilient agent and supplier model, as well as new tools and insights that enable smarter decisions.
