The Challenge of Growth Without the Right Tools
Grupo Vinoteca is one of Mexico’s leading retailers and distributors of wine and spirits, operating through three companies: Importaciones de la Mancha, Vinoteca, and Vinux. The group operates a retail presence across 10 states of Mexico with an online sales channel and a product range spanning wine, spirits, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, food, and accessories.
As Grupo Vinoteca expanded across multiple channels, manual spreadsheet-based planning made it harder to keep up. Before implementing RELEX, demand planning, allocation, and replenishment were managed separately, with no integrated view across the network. The planning team relied on predetermined order quantities, which could lead to excess inventory and lost sales.
Grupo Vinoteca struggled to keep pace with new clients, catalog changes, and seasonal shifts across its growing network. Without a reliable forecast to guide decisions, the business faced mounting pressure to maintain availability and control inventory across every channel. They needed a solution that could bring structure and scalability to a supply chain that was outpacing its planning processes.
A Planning Solution Built for Scale and Seasonal Complexity
In 2023, Grupo Vinoteca implemented RELEX forecasting and replenishment and integrated supply chain planning across its entire network, supported by RELEX partner, Wysupp. RELEX stood out for its track record with broad assortments, diverse product lifecycles, and highly seasonal retail environments. This combination of capabilities was critical for a business managing inventory across multiple channels, companies, and distribution tiers.
With RELEX, Grupo Vinoteca now has accurate demand forecasts across every product, store, and channel for the first time. The group gained the visibility needed to make proactive decisions, with each channel generating its own forecast while inventory was optimized across the network. For a wine and spirits business, this also meant now having the ability to track demand separately for each vintage. Order proposals are now generated automatically, freeing the team to focus on analysis and strategic decisions rather than manual order management.
Throughout the project, Grupo Vinoteca and RELEX worked closely together with a structured approach that prioritized team confidence and platform adoption. A focus on assortment integrity and promotional forecasting helped ensure a smooth transition. Since they have gone live, Grupo Vinoteca’s team has grown increasingly self-sufficient in using the platform and are well positioned to continue scaling with confidence.
Measurable Results Across Availability, Inventory, and Efficiency
Since implementing RELEX, Grupo Vinoteca has seen measurable improvements across availability, inventory, and service levels. Lost retail sales fell by 34.7%, from 9.5% to 6.2%, directly reflecting improved product availability across stores and online channels. B2B fill rate improved from 90.0% to 92.8%, strengthening service levels to hotel and restaurant clients. Inventory levels decreased by an average of 1.2 days; an improvement significant enough to eliminate the need for a second warehouse rental, delivering ongoing annual savings without compromising availability.
The RELEX impact extends well beyond inventory and availability metrics, with store replenishment time cut by approximately 50%. This significant reduction has transformed how the team operates day to day. As the business continues to expand, RELEX has supported that growth without the need for additional planners.
“RELEX has cut the time we spend on replenishment by about half, but the benefits go well beyond that,” said Karen Contreras, Supply Chain Manager, Grupo Vinoteca. “Demand changes, exceptions, and promotional products are all now managed in one place, which has transformed how we plan. Nearly two years in, we have met our availability targets and continue to see inventory performance improve, and we look forward to building on those results together.”
Grupo Vinoteca is now well positioned to continue its growth across Mexico, with a unified supply chain foundation capable of scaling alongside the business. The team has grown increasingly self-sufficient in the platform, with ongoing collaboration focused on identifying new opportunities to drive further value. Looking ahead, Grupo Vinoteca plans to continue exploring RELEX capabilities, with Diagnostics as the next step in their journey.