Apparel Group – Case Study

Apparel Group is a significant retail group based in the UAE, primarily operating across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Founded in 1996, the group has grown to represent over 85 international brands, including Tommy Hilfiger, Aldo, Tim Hortons, and Levi’s. It operates more than 2,300 stores across 14 countries, with a focus on sectors such as fashion, footwear, food & beverages, and cosmetics.

About The Company

Apparel Group is a significant retail group based in the UAE, primarily operating across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Founded in 1996, the group has grown to represent over 85 international brands, including Tommy Hilfiger, Aldo, Tim Hortons, and Levi’s. It operates more than 2,300 stores across 14 countries, with a focus on sectors such as fashion, footwear, food & beverages, and cosmetics. In recent years, the group has rapidly expanded, launching new stores and securing brand partnerships, like it’s collaborations with Forest Essentials and ASICS. Overall, Apparel Group plays a vital role in the retail landscape of the Middle East, continuously adapting to changing market trends and consumer preferences. Its commitment to quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction has solidified its position as a leading player in the fashion and lifestyle industry.

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Challenges

As the company grew rapidly, its existing methods for managing employee schedules, tracking work hours, and handling contract workers began to face limitations. To maintain efficiency and support their dynamic operations, the company sought a solution that could provide real-time data, streamline processes, and reduce the workload on HR teams.

  • Managing diverse shift patterns required frequent adjustments.
  • Unplanned overtime led to higher labor costs.
  • The complexity of tracking contract workers attendance and shifts increased due to labor law compliance requirements.
  • Technical Malfunctioning of attendance devices across locations resulted in causing gaps in attendance data.
  • Absenteeism and inaccurate attendance logging complicated payroll processing.
  • Duplicate attendance and payroll records due to employee transfers between stores.

Solution

360TNA was implemented at Apparel Group in just five months, making this one of the fastest implementations for 360TNA.

  • The system allowed for real-time, accurate tracking of employee attendance, including integration with biometric devices, reducing errors caused by manual input.
  • 360TNA offered smooth integration with Oracle HCM, ensuring there was no duplication of records. Employee transfers between stores no longer resulted in data errors, and payroll data was streamlined across all platforms.
  • The system automated LOP (Loss of Pay) tracking, making it easy to calculate deductions for unapproved absences. Overtime was also tracked accurately, and unauthorized hours were flagged before payroll, reducing unnecessary labor costs.
  • 360TNA integrated contract workers into the same platform, simplifying compliance with labor laws across multiple countries.
  • The system centralized the management of biometric devices, ensuring minimal downtime and efficient troubleshooting. This led to better attendance data reliability.

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Impact

Apparel Group’s decision to implement 360TNA was a game-changer in addressing their attendance management challenges. In just five months, the system enhanced attendance tracking, overtime, loss of pay, and contract worker management, significantly boosting the company’s operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

This successful transformation highlights the importance of using technology to manage a complex workforce, helping Apparel Group continue to expand smoothly while maintaining efficient, fair operations for all employees.