Case Study
SMOLLAN
Smollan transforms budgeting efficiency and accountability with IDU
ABOUT SMOLLAN
Founded in 1931 as a regional sales agency, Smollan has grown into a global retail solutions company operating across five continents. With over 60,000 employees and decades of industry experience, Smollan delivers growth for retailers and brand owners through field sales, retail execution, activation, and technology. A strategic partnership with WPP since 2009 has further supported its international expansion.
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
With more than 20 companies and 7,000 employees servicing over 22,000 outlets, Smollan faced a massive budgeting and reporting challenge. Cost centre managers were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task, spending more time on financials than on their core responsibilities in the field. The reliance on spreadsheets and the AS/400‑based BPCS ERP system compounded the problem — while reliable, BPCS was not user‑friendly and required complex procedures to extract accounts.
Managers struggled with delays, frustrations, and a lack of transparency. Reporting deadlines were difficult to meet, and the finance department was burdened with consolidating figures manually. It was clear that Smollan needed a management information system that could complement BPCS, simplify budgeting, and empower managers to focus on driving retail execution rather than being desk‑bound.
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THE SOLUTION
In 2001, Smollan implemented IDU‑Concept to streamline budget and forecast capture and reporting. Rather than replacing BPCS, IDU complemented it, removing the iterative, error‑prone processes inherent in spreadsheets. The intuitive interface provided transparency, accountability, and security, ensuring managers only accessed relevant cost centres.
IDU developed a custom aggregation tool specifically for Smollan, enabling thousands of smaller budgets to be consolidated seamlessly.
Managers gained web access to their reports, allowing them to update financials anytime, anywhere. This revolutionised Smollan’s budgeting process, freeing managers to remain active in the field while still contributing meaningfully to financial planning. Productivity increased, reporting cycles shortened, and accountability improved across the organisation.
A PARTNER IN SUCCESS
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“Smollan needed a solution that could handle thousands of budgets without slowing them down. By tailoring IDU‑Concept with a custom aggregation tool, we delivered transparency, accountability, and efficiency at scale.” – Kevin Phillips, CEO, IDU
“IDU‑Concept revolutionised our budgeting process. Management is now actively involved in planning while still focusing on the field. Productivity has increased considerably, and managers can access reports anytime, anywhere.”
Colleen Rose, IT Director, Smollan Group
THE RESULT
Budget cycles shortened from months to weeks.
Managers empowered with web access and real‑time reporting.
Custom aggregation tool streamlined consolidation of thousands of budgets.
Increased productivity, with managers focusing on fieldwork while maintaining financial accountability.
