Supply Chain

Supply Chain

We design, innovate, manufacture, sell and move more than 50 million pairs of shoes every year. Planning the production of all these shoes is an incredible logistic challenge. A challenge our Supply Chain functions tackles with energy and enthusiasm and unrivalled expertise.

It’s up to us to produce a supply plan that balances the needs of our factories (such as efficient production and earliest possible manufacture) with the needs of demand (things like changes in advertising plans and the different requirements of different international markets). We also work hard to minimise airfreight cost by making the most efficient use of stock and the distribution network.

We’re at the heart of delivering the customer promise. We deal with Product Merchandising, Customer Services, Store Planning and Operations, Sales teams, and Logistics Operations. We come across all sorts of challenges along the way. There could be a surprise change in demand or a sudden global shortage of raw materials. We’ve just implemented a new integrated planning system to help us manage this complex environment even more capably.

Typical roles include ...

  • Supply Chain Manager
  • Supply Chain Planner
  • Team Leaders

Spotlight on a ... Supply Chain Manager (Womens)

If you love a logistic challenge, if you’ve a talent for thinking fast on your feet, here’s the job for you. Our Supply Chain Planners make sure that the correct stock is available in the right place at the right time to supply our stores and meet our wholesale and international customer orders.

It’s no easy feat. You’ll need to plan factory production, work with overseas planning offices, update our development timetable, and be ready for any ad hoc requests or changes that may come your way. Initiative is a must, and you’ll need to be comfortable prioritising your workload. But you’ll have a great team to work with.

Every day’s different. You’ll be dealing with other departments, other countries and other cultures, meeting new people and learning about their roles all the time. The scale of the operation is huge and, as a business, we’re always looking ahead. We’ve just introduced a new Supply Chain planning tool that’ll help us to see the effects of supply constraints on stock and availability. Like a lot of the systems here, it’s bespoke, not off-the-shelf. Another sign of Clarks commitment to excellence.