Overhauling Regatta’s global IT infrastructure to harness growth and innovation

The Regatta Group is a global group of outdoor and workwear clothing brands, comprising Regatta, Dare2b, Craghoppers, and Regatta Professional.

The Group has over 2,500 employees across 16 countries, and offices and distribution centres across the world. In recent years, it set out to level up its mission-critical IT infrastructure to match its status as an industry leader and elevate its business operations.

Systems built on systems – a complex start

The business first embarked on its multi-million-pound digital transformation project with Nexer (formerly K3 / Sigma) five years ago. After investing in a new distribution centre and head office, the business turned its attention to enhancing its enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

Prior to this, the business had been operating with a legacy system that was developed and managed by a small group of colleagues. The historic system had gradually expanded, with new functionalities being built onto it to accommodate the evolving needs of the business. But as the Group continued to go from strength to strength, this patchwork system began to bring its own set of challenges.

To meet rapidly evolving business demands, the internal experts who knew how to work the dated systems were required to deliver new solutions at pace. Often, this left little time to test them and implement new processes and training among teams. With so many components, there was a fear that change in one part of the system could cause another part to fall apart. This led to frustration within the teams whose work were impacted by it the most, such as finance.

On top of these mounting concerns was uncertainty over the longevity of the legacy system’s capabilities. Only a select few colleagues could understand and manage the system they’d built, and personnel changes threatened to cause more problems and limit functionality in the long run.

To prevent the esoteric system from stalling business operations and inhibiting growth, it quickly became clear to The Regatta Group that it needed to overhaul its IT operations entirely and implement a system fit for the future of the thriving business. But with the Group operating on both a wholesale and direct-to-consumer basis, and changes needing to be adopted across 16 different countries, this was set to be a complex undertaking.

Embedding Microsoft’s integrated software ecosystem

The Regatta Group commissioned Nexer (formerly K3 / Sigma) in 2019 to deliver an effective business solution, managing the analysis, build, testing, and project management stages of software implementation. It was the Group’s first time working with external consultants on a transformation project, but the team was assured by Nexer’s global expertise and reputation.

Nexer implemented a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, providing Regatta with a trusted, industry-standard solution that they could build upon and tailor to their unique business needs. The software delivered integrated ERP and CRM functionalities to help streamline and simplify Regatta’s processes across sales, customer service, marketing, finance, and operations. Nexer also introduced Microsoft Business Intelligence systems to facilitate cloud-to-cloud migration and align with Microsoft’s integrated software ecosystem.

Working closely with in-house Regatta Group experts, Nexer supported the Group’s change management programme for the rollout, which included newsletters and model office workshops to engage the team and ensure a smooth transition. The new systems were gradually rolled out to brands across the Group. Craghoppers’ systems went live in June 2022, with Regatta and Dare2b following in June 2023, when the final stage of the implementation was complete.

Meanwhile, K3 Fashion was chosen to support Regatta’s outdoor clothing line as a concept-to-consumer solution seamlessly embedded in D365 Finance & Operations. With comprehensive support across the full fashion lifecycle, paired with its intuitive nature and ‘One Microsoft’ approach, it made sense to adopt a best-in-suite solution that would scale with Regatta.

Consulting with care

Following the initial implementation, Nexer provided post-live support to The Regatta Group. Amid the peak of the 2023’s retail ‘golden quarter’, the Group chose to transition to Nexer’s Care365 service to receive seamless ongoing support and ensure they were maximising the new systems to their full potential.

Care365 takes a customised, people-first approach to delivering Microsoft Dynamics 365 post-live support, maintenance, and optimisation, helping to meet evolving operational needs and leverage new features to generate business benefits. By accessing the service, The Regatta Group can raise queries for quick resolutions, and Nexer also speaks directly to Microsoft on the Group’s behalf to handle more complex technical issues.

Working smarter, not harder

Now, legacy systems that limit access to valuable business insights and inhibit growth are a thing of the past for The Regatta Group. As a result of long-term collaboration with Nexer, the Group has successfully overhauled its IT ecosystem and transformed its operations to meet future demands.

Chris Bulmer, Consultant Director (AI and Automation) and former Group IT Director at The Regatta Group, who oversaw the project, commented:

“The Microsoft implementation project was a major milestone for The Regatta Group. Implementing Microsoft solutions has enabled us to consolidate our international operations, access more detailed reporting, and work smarter.

“We knew that Nexer had the expertise to execute the job, and working with the technical team in recent years has proven we made the right choice. It’s clear that the team genuinely care and is invested in our business – they know our operations inside out and clearly want the best for us.”

Through Care365, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power BI will continue to work hard for the Group and empower its employees to work smarter. The group is now also exploring other functionalities as part of the integrated freedom it now enjoys through the Microsoft ecosystem.

Speaking on the decision to choose K3, Chris added:

“The Regatta-centric positioning of K3 highlighted how the new system would benefit us, with particular focus on K3 Fashion’s purpose-built nature for fashion and apparel. K3 has a strong track record in the outdoor fashion market, and it was clear to us that there was only one choice – especially with the solution being fully embedded in D365.”

If you’d like to learn more about how Nexer and K3 can support you, feel free to drop us a line today.