Case Study

Engineering a Modern Planning Platform for Alshaya: A Custom Solution for Enterprise-Scale Retail Operations

Transforming Planning Operations Through Custom Software and YALLO’s Engineering Expertise

Rising Costs, Limited Flexibility, and Slow Enhancements Were Restricting Growth for Alshaya. They needed a Modern, Custom Planning Platform

Alshaya Group, one of the region’s largest retail operators, aimed to reduce their reliance on a high-cost external planning platform. The platform was costly, difficult to customise, and slow to scale across their diverse business units. As the organisation expanded, these constraints led to inefficiencies in Forecasting, Allocation, and Replenishment (A&R) processes.

To take control of their planning operations and reduce dependency on expensive third-party platforms, Alshaya aimed to build an in-house, fully custom solution that would meet their unique business requirements.

The Challenge

High Licensing Costs and Lack of Flexibility in existing solution

Industry Context: Why Custom Planning Software Matters in Modern Retail

For a large retail enterprise, planning accuracy directly influences revenue, margins, and customer satisfaction. A modern, flexible planning system enables:

Alshaya struggled with the following issues:

Extremely high TCO tied to current planning licenses
Rigid customisation capabilities, resulting in delays and compromised functionality
Difficulty rolling out enhancements quickly across business units
Growing operational dependency on an external vendor
Lack of internal ownership over the platform and overall roadmap

By replacing expensive vendor-locked software with an internally owned platform, retail organisations gain full control over cost, roadmap, scalability, and competitive differentiation.

How YALLO Helped Alshaya

Enterprise Architecture Leadership, Dedicated Engineering Teams, and End-to-End Delivery

YALLO leveraged its EA-as-a-Service and Talent in a Box model to assemble a high-performing engineering and data team tailored to Alshaya’s needs. The engagement included:

1. End-to-End Solution Architecture

YALLO provided senior enterprise architects to design a scalable, cloud-ready architecture that would support Forecasting, Allocation, and Replenishment workflows at enterprise scale.

2. Dedicated Full-Stack Engineering Team

A purposely built team was formed, including:

Front-end developers
Back-end developers
Data engineers
Data scientists
UI/UX specialists

This ensured rapid development, seamless integration, and a compelling user experience.

3. Agile Co-Creation with Business & Tech Stakeholders

YALLO worked hand-in-hand with Alshaya’s internal teams, aligning:

Functional requirements
User journeys
Data model design
System integration needs

This collaborative approach ensured the new solution precisely matched business expectations.

4. Rapid Delivery of the Forecasting & A&R Platform

The first phase of the custom-built solution was delivered in record time, meeting all quality, usability, and performance benchmarks defined by the client.

Risk Mitigation:
Ensuring a Safe Transition from current solution to an In-House Platform

1. Architectural Stability & Scalability

Ensured the platform could support continuous business growth and large-scale planning operations.

2. Controlled Transition Planning

Created a phased rollout plan that allowed Alshaya to migrate away from current solution without business disruption.

3. Ownership & IP Protection

The intellectual property fully belongs to Alshaya, preventing vendor lock-in and enabling long-term innovation.

4. Quality Assurance & Reliability

Comprehensive QA frameworks ensured system accuracy, reliability, and forecasting precision.

The Result

Successful Go-Live, Major Cost Reduction, and Strategic Technology Ownership

1. Phase-One Go-Live with Primark Launch

The first phase of the custom-built Forecasting and A&R platform went live successfully and is currently powering Alshaya’s Primark rollout.

2. 80% Reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

By decommissioning current system, Alshaya achieved dramatic cost savings while gaining full control of their planning ecosystem.

3. High Internal Adoption & Confidence in YALLO’s Expertise

YALLO consultants have earned strong trust across business and IT due to their speed, quality, and deep domain skills.

4. A Scalable Roadmap Co-Created for 2026

YALLO and Alshaya have jointly defined a long-term roadmap to scale the platform across the wider retail portfolio.

5. Strengthened Partnership Based on Delivery Excellence

The success of the first phase has expanded YALLO’s role as a strategic technology partner for upcoming transformation initiatives.

Testimonial

“YALLO’s engineering talent and architectural leadership helped us replace a costly planning system with a modern, flexible solution tailored to our needs. Their team delivered at exceptional speed and quality, and the business value has been immediate. We now have full control of our planning roadmap and technology.”
— Director of Supply Chain & Planning / Alshaya Group

Let YALLO Solve Your Talent Challenges

YALLO’s partnership with Alshaya Group demonstrates the power of custom-built software, agile engineering teams, and strategic technology ownership. By blending deep retail expertise with world-class engineering capabilities, YALLO enables organisations to reduce cost, accelerate innovation, and build solutions that truly fit their business.

How We Serve

TS/EA as a Service

Empowering Business Transformation with Expert Technology Strategy

Talent in a Box

Scaling Innovation with World-Class Talent

Managed IT COE

Delivering Seamless IT Operations at Scale