Retail Pro and Helly Hanson Glide through any Storm Together

Since 1877, Helly Hansen has provided high quality, protective technical gear for survival, work and sport. This dynamic company concentrates on providing apparel ideal for protection in the harshest environments on the planet. Their gear is particularly useful because it is both waterproof and breathable.
According to their website, Helly Hansen’s target market is “people who work and/or play outdoors more days than they are indoors”. For the long run Helly Hansen seeks to continuously optimize the technology and design of their products. Besides being focused on providing the best protective gear, as a company Helly Hansen is particularly concerned with protecting the environment by using environmentally sound fabrics, chemicals and processes as well as using recycled packaging.
In the fall of 2007, the corporate headquarters of Helly Hansen learned that some of their franchise stores in the US and Canada were using Retail Pro with success. After meeting with Canadian Retail Solutions, Helly Hansen decided to try out one pilot store during the busiest winter season in Vancouver and use Retail Pro. If that implementation went smoothly, Retail Pro was to be their choice Point of Sale solution. In the spring of 2008, after a successful winter season, CRS began “phase two” which included replacing 2 other independent POS systems in the rest of the corporately owned US and Canadian stores.
Scott Smith, General Manager of Canadian Retail Solutions explains “Helly Hansen required a point of sale solution which could be implemented globally. The Helly Hansen relationship has and continues to be a true testament to the relevance and effectiveness of the Retail Pro software suite as an international product. At Canadian Retail Solutions we have always been committed to the localization of this software to ensure it continues to be the leading edge point of sale solution in Canada. Knowing we are supported by multiple business partners with that same drive around the world along with a truly amazing project management group at Retail Pro has made all the difference with this Helly Hansen project.”
Since the initial installation in 2007, Helly Hansen has installed 20 stores globally with the Retail Pro version 8.52, and each are in the process of implementing a v9 server in the backend, as well as Business Intelligence, in order for their main corporate office in Norway to oversee what is taking place in each store with ease. In the future, Helly Hansen plans on upgrading to v9 on the front end. Initially Retail Pro business partner Canadian Retail Solution were contacted by Helly Hansen and eventually more international Retail Pro business partners throughout the world were called on to install exactly the same Retail Pro solution. Each partner was called on to install Retail Pro in each countries’ native language, while also meeting essential localization requirements. CSC, a Retail Pro business partner in Italy, opened up the Helly Hansen Courmayeur store and then handed over the baton to Retail Store Scandinavia who opened up the stores in Sweden and Oslo.
Scott L Sutherland, Director of Finance Helly Hansen North America states, “After reviewing the market options for a retail point of sale system it was clear that Retail Pro would provide Helly Hansen with the highest level of support and ease of use for our stores in North America and Europe. Retail Pro’s business partner network has worked with us through every phase of our worldwide implementation. Helly Hansen has implemented Retail Pro in the United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Italy, and Switzerland. At each stop along the way the Helly Hansen implementation team has been supported by the Retail Pro business partner network with responsive and consistent support.”
On the surface it might seem as if Retail Pro and Helly Hansen are two very different businesses linked by a technological solution. But look a little deeper and it becomes evident that they might not be so different- both are globally driven by world market needs, both represent the toughest and most robust solution, and both pride themselves on being ahead of the game both technologically and design wise.