AS Watson Benelux to Improve Space Planning Across 1,500 Stores with RELEX

Leading health and beauty retailer replaces legacy system with unified, cloud-native space planning to boost efficiency and profitability 

AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux, part of the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, has selected RELEX Solutions to implement advanced space planning capabilities across 1500 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. The RELEX platform will help streamline merchandising decisions for macro and micro space planning while maximizing the financial performance of retail space for AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux. 

AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux operates two leading discount health and beauty retail chains: Kruidvat and Trekpleister. As both formats continue to evolve their customer propositions and expand, they identified the need to replace a legacy, on-premise solution and reduce manual processes. By moving to a unified platform with end-to-end data and insights, AS Watson Benelux aims to enable more fact-based decision-making while lowering operational complexity and inventory levels.

“We strongly believe RELEX is uniquely positioned to support our end-to-end unified space planning strategy,” said Brenda Smith, CMO, AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux. “The ability to integrate seamlessly into our existing IT landscape, without replacing core enterprise systems, was one of the key differentiators in the selection process. The combination of pre-configured best practices, flexibility with the option of customization, and rapid time-to-value enables us to evolve our space planning capabilities and grow incremental value through optimized space plans.”

AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux will benefit from using RELEX for space planning by moving from manual, fragmented processes to a more automated and consistent way of managing store space at scale. The AI-driven platform will support both macro and micro space planning across 1,500 Kruidvat and Trekpleister stores, reducing manual effort while enabling more data-driven assortment and layout decisions. By improving how space is allocated and optimized by store segment, AS Watson Benelux can increase the financial effectiveness of its retail space while also lowering inventory levels.

“AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux’s approach to space planning reflects the strategic thinking we see from leading retailers,” said Bas van Lith, Sales Director Benelux & South Africa, RELEX Solutions. “They recognize that effective space management requires integration with broader retail planning, not isolated tools. We are excited to support their vision with a platform that combines proven capabilities with the flexibility to evolve as their business grows.”