We are delighted to welcome Little John Bikes as a new numi customer. The modern bicycle retailer combines a nationwide store network with a broad range of bicycles, e-bikes, and accessories. Little John Bikes now uses numi to plan 70 stores on one shared, data-driven foundation.
One shared demand signal across 70 stores
Planning a large store network comes with distinct challenges: not every item sells regularly at every location, regional demand varies, and each assortment has to reflect demand, available space, and in-store presentation requirements at the same time.
numi therefore starts by creating robust demand forecasts at the global item level. Expected demand is then distributed across individual stores using data-driven allocation logic. This keeps every local plan aligned with total expected network demand while still accounting for regional differences.
The joint project includes:
- Global demand forecasts by item as a stable foundation for the entire store network.
- Store-level forecasts and inventory targets that reflect local demand and available stock.
- Rule-based assortment planning to manage assortment breadth, inventory depth, and display requirements by location.
- NPI forecasting for new products and model generations, even when no product-specific sales history exists yet.
- Hierarchical analysis of demand, purchasing, and inventory development across the global network or by brand, product group, item, and store.
Making new models plannable from day one
The bicycle industry introduces new models, variants, and model years on a regular basis. Purchasing and assortment decisions therefore often have to be made before reliable sales data for a new item is available.
numi addresses this challenge using demand patterns from comparable products, representative launch curves, like items, and seasonal profiles. As soon as the first actual demand becomes available, the forecast can be updated. New products can therefore be planned systematically from launch and adjusted in a controlled way as real demand develops.
From assortment strategy to operational decisions
Forecasts alone do not determine which items a store should carry or how many units should be stocked. numi connects its forecasts with the strategic guardrails of the assortment.
Product groups can be segmented by attributes such as brand, category, model family, or display type. Each segment can have its own rules for minimum and maximum breadth, local forecast thresholds, days of supply, and minimum quantities. The result is an explainable item selection for every location that can be translated directly into inventory and replenishment decisions.
Transparency from the entire network to each store
With Hierarchy Lookup, planning teams can analyse demand, forecasts, purchasing, and inventory from different perspectives. Developments can be reviewed across the complete network or for an individual brand, product group, or store.
This creates one shared view of the key planning questions: Where is demand developing? What inventory levels can be expected? Which items require attention? And how does local performance fit into the overall network picture?
Less manual coordination, better planning decisions
numi connects global forecasts, local demand, and strategic assortment rules in one continuous process. Planning information no longer has to be reconciled manually across separate reports. Decisions remain explainable and can be updated more quickly when new data becomes available or conditions change.
We would like to thank the entire Little John Bikes team for their trust and collaborative partnership. We look forward to continuing the development of assortment and store planning across 70 locations together.
Learn more about the methodology in our article Assortment Planning: How numi Plans Store Assortments.
