26 January, 2021

C&A Selects Centric PLM as their Strategic Foundation for Digital Innovation

Technology investment to transform how products are developed and brought to market in Brazil

CAMPBELL, California, January 27, 2021 –In order to continue its digital transformation, C&A, one of the largest fashion retail chains in the world, with more than 1,800 units in 24 countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia, has selected Centric Software®’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution in Brazil. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Founded in 1841 and with operations in Brazil since 1976, the retailer has around 300 stores in 125 cities across the country. According to the prestigious newspaper Valor Econômico, C&A is among the 200 largest companies with operations in Brazil, in addition to being recognized as one of the most admired brands in the Textile Retail category in journals like O Globo and O Estado de S. Paulo among others. The company is also widely recognized for its sustainable initiatives and bold communication, with its famous signature “Muito Eu.” C&A had planned to implement PLM for approximately 2 years. In light of the pandemic, the company needed to urgently transform itself, with teams doing all product development work remotely.

“The pandemic not only greatly increased our digital channel sales and made it much more relevant, but it also accelerated the digital transformation of the company as a whole. And, with that, we needed more assortments, more new models; it was in this context that we decided to leverage PLM,” explains João Souza, Head of Sourcing for the Women’s Department of C&A Brazil.

“Our product development was very centered around each designer and emails with suppliers but with no real strategic organization. PLM will help make this process more efficient and streamline supplier management. It’ll cover our end-to-end supply chain, from the first stage of initial product design to market launch.”

C&A has undergone a major transformation and is currently poised for extraordinary innovation in Brazil. Says Souza, “We were deciding between developing an internal PLM or looking for a tool already available on the market. When we spoke to Centric, we realized that opting for their off the shelf solution would greatly accelerate our transformation process. And as we have invested a lot in technology innovations, we were looking for a partner who can match our pace—a market leader. That’s why we decided to make the investment and partner with Centric which will result in a faster implementation, attributes that are ready-to-use out of the box and a quick time to value.

“This partnership with Centric is very important and strategic, so we can transform the company’s core—product development. We couldn’t have chosen a better partner: we needed a supplier that had relevance in the market and a high level of sophistication. Our two very successful companies will both benefit from the partnership in the coming years.”

“We are very pleased to announce that C&A has chosen Centric as a PLM partner,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “C&A is a reference in fashion and retail trends worldwide and will now enable teams in Brazil to collaborate digitally, maximizing communication, speed and efficiency in product development. We are excited to be part of this milestone in the region.”

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C&A (www.cea.com.br)

C&A is a fashion company focused on experiences that go beyond clothing. Founded in 1841 by the brothers Clemens and August in the Netherlands, C&A understands and defends fashion as one of the most fundamental channels for connecting people with themselves and with everyone around them. Therefore, it puts their customers at the center of the strategy. Being one of the largest fashion retailers in the world, C&A arrived in Brazil in 1976 when it opened its first store at the Ibirapuera mall, in São Paulo (SP). Currently, the company operates more than 280 stores nationwide, in addition to E-commerce. Listed on the Brazilian stock exchange (B3) since October 2019, C&A is a pioneer in several innovations in its segment, offering digital and omnichannel services and solutions, aiming to expand the customer on and offline experience. C&A has around 15,000 employees across the country and is present in the lives of one million customers each day. The company stands out for offering young, innovative, diverse and inclusive fashion for women, men and children in addition to the line of fashiontronics products—a wide variety of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets—and Galeria C&A, a marketplace that sells decorative items, pet items, jewelry, among other segments. We invite you to learn more about C&A at saladeimprensa.cea.com.br.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods including cosmetics, beauty, food and beverage. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB provides innovative PLM technology and key industry learnings for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) offers a new fully visual and digital experience for collaboration and decision-making and includes the Centric Buying Board to transform internal buying sessions and maximize retail value and the Centric Concept Board for driving creativity and evolving product concepts. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.