Previously, Charles Tyrwhitt, a British multi-channel men’s clothing retailer, relied heavily on Excel for merchandising and stock planning—a common situation in retail. This approach provided only a single, aggregated view of stock across two warehouses in the UK and US. As the business grew, this lack of visibility made it increasingly difficult to plan inventory effectively and ensure the right products were in the right place at the right time.
Following a formal market review, Charles Tyrwhitt selected Board for its flexibility. The team needed a solution that could support their unique planning approach—forecasting demand at retail value while valuing stock at cost—and evolve alongside the business. Board offered the freedom to design planning processes around how Charles Tyrwhitt actually operates, rather than forcing the business into a rigid template.
The initial implementation, launched in 2018, was supported by their partner bdg (better decisions group) and focused on merchandise financial planning (MFP) and line planning. Built from a blank canvas, the solution went live and established a strong foundation. Over time, however, the team learned that not everything needed to be perfect from day one. As users worked with Board, new requirements emerged and some original features proved unnecessary.
Board’s value became especially clear during COVID. With market conditions changing rapidly, Charles Tyrwhitt was able to reforecast stock quickly and respond with agility. At the same time, the crisis highlighted opportunities to simplify workflows and improve efficiency, reinforcing the importance of a platform that can adapt.
Subsequent enhancements, including an upgrade from Board 10 to Board 12, focused on retaining what worked best while refining and expanding functionality. Many changes were delivered internally, demonstrating how Board empowered the business to take ownership of its planning environment.
Later phases of development adopted a more phased delivery. Rather than waiting for one large go-live, the approach led to “mini go-lives” throughout the project, ensuring that benefits were realised earlier and continuously. While overall budgets and timelines remained consistent, the impact was significant: faster adoption, quicker feedback, and stronger engagement from end users.
Ann Kerry
You don’t have to have everything perfect on day one. Go live, use it, get feedback from the team, and keep building on it.
Today, Board supports a growing set of use cases at Charles Tyrwhitt. By adopting a phased, merchandising-led approach and continuously building on feedback, Charles Tyrwhitt has created a flexible planning ecosystem that delivers fast time to value, strong user adoption, and the agility required in a fast-moving retail environment. Hear the full story, watch the on-demand webinar.
