Streamlining sports retail warehouse management: PROLAG World at Sporthaus Schuster

Sporthaus Schuster is a true Munich original – an independent, family-owned business that proudly celebrated its 111th anniversary in 2024. Known for its passion, expertise in mountain sports and commitment to family values, the company is deeply rooted at Marienplatz and entrenched in alpine tradition. With over 5,400 m² of retail space, it ranks among Europe’s leading sports retailers. Schuster has been delivering an exceptional shopping experience at its iconic Marienplatz store since 1913 – and through its online platform since 2008.

Initial situation

Sporthaus Schuster faced the challenge of implementing an efficient warehouse management system for its central warehouse in Planegg/Martinsried near Munich. After a comprehensive evaluation, Schuster chose to partner with CIM GmbH, partly due to the geographical proximity and shared family-oriented company culture.

A key criterion in choosing a warehouse management system (WMS) was the need to flexibly manage seasonal peaks. The sporting goods industry is particularly prone to strong seasonal fluctuations in demand, and Schuster hires temporary student workers to support order picking during peak periods. The WMS therefore had to offer an intuitive user interface to facilitate fast training and error-free picking.

"When choosing a WMS, it was important to us to find a regional partner with years of experience.”“

Another key aspect was the just-in-time replenishment of stock to the store at Marienplatz. For this purpose, Schuster required a WMS capable of managing replenishment processes with maximum accuracy and precision and adapting flexibly to fluctuating order volumes. In our company, Sporthaus Schuster found a regional partner with a system that not only offers the necessary scalability but also stands out for its exceptional user-friendliness.

Goals

The implementation PROLAG World in Sporthaus Schuster’s central warehouse focused on achieving four main objectives:

1. Zero error strategy in order picking:
To minimize and largely eliminate picking errors, especially where articles are very similar, the EAN code (European Article Number) of each item is scanned in PROLAG World. This ensures that the correct item is always picked.

2. Minimization of walking distances plus accelerated picking:
PROLAG World optimizes pick paths through efficient sorting of stock retrieval lists. A chaotic storage system ensures that similar articles (such as the same shoe model in different sizes) are not stored right next to each other. This makes it easier for order pickers to locate the correct item, significantly speeding up the picking process and minimizing walking distances.

3. Faster capture and restocking of returns:
A smart returns process ensures same-day restocking of online returns. The smart returns process ensures that online returns are added back to the available stock on the same day.

4. Precise replenishment for the Marienplatz store:

An intuitive crossdocking process was introduced to optimize restocking of the store at Marienplatz. As soon as new stock arrives at the central warehouse and an item is scanned, the host system automatically calculates the current stock levels in the store and places the required quantity directly into a picking box.

PROLAG World guides the picking staff such that only goods destined for the same floor of the store are placed in a single box. The employee decides when the box is full and then delivers it to the designated handover area based on the instructions given by the system. This streamlined process reduces the effort required to distribute items within the store, since the boxes are not passed between floors.

"Thanks to the efficient returns processing in PROLAG World, articles are swiftly returned to stock ensuring faster availability for new orders."

Outcome

Implementing PROLAG World led to immediate optimizations across multiple areas:

• Efficient crossdocking of goods that are delivered directly to the store immediately after goods receipt entry
• Daily, floor-specific replenishment of the Munich store to ensure accurate order fulfilment
• High inventory accuracy in the central warehouse
• Intuitive order picking with minimal training effort
• Real-time picking of online orders
• Same day restocking of online returns
• Mobile price labelling
• Enhanced productivity: approximately 3500 crossdocking items, 2500 putaways and 2500 retrievals per day
  
  

Conclusion

With the successful implementation of PROLAG World, Sporthaus Schuster has significantly optimized its logistics processes and set new standards in warehouse management. The software enables the company to operate with maximum flexibility and efficiency, even during periods of high demand, ensuring it maintains its position as a pioneer in the sports retail sector.