How Kmart Australia Scaled Sourcing Volume 3.5x Without Adding Headcount

Growth Was Outpacing the Systems Built to Support It 

Kmart Australia had no shortage of ambition. With over 320 stores across Australia and New Zealand and a rapidly growing private label assortment, the business was expanding — but its internal systems weren't keeping up. Vendor data, QA results, supplier profiles, and quotations were scattered across spreadsheets, emails, faxes, and paper printouts, with no central place to find or compare them. Buyers couldn't quickly assess vendor performance or accreditation status, and launching new product lines meant wrestling information out of multiple departments and formats before any real work could begin. Phone calls and faxes were still the glue holding global supplier communication together. Kmart knew that to stay competitive — and to simultaneously reduce costs, shorten lead times, and maintain quality — it needed more than a system upgrade. It needed to rethink its entire sourcing infrastructure. 

One Platform to Run Every Sourcing Decision Globally 

Kmart turned to TradeBeyond to build and implement a new IT architecture from the ground up — one designed for the scale and complexity its business demanded. The result was a globally accessible platform that consolidated every piece of sourcing information into a single, real-time repository. Buyers can now create projects quickly using standardized templates before buying trips, making the most of their time on the road. Vendor accreditation, QA results, quotations, samples, and supplier profiles are all accessible through a single web interface — visible to every stakeholder, updated in real time, and no longer buried in someone's inbox. For the first time, buyers, merchandisers, and suppliers across multiple markets were all working from exactly the same information. 

“With a scalable platform now at its core, Kmart has the infrastructure to keep growing — without the friction that once held it back.” 

Michael Fagan, Head of Operations, Kmart Australia 

Faster to Market, Leaner Operations. A Business Built to Keep Scaling. 

The transformation delivered results across every dimension Kmart had set out to improve. Phone calls, faxes, and paper printouts gave way to instant, electronic access to sourcing information for the entire global operation. Communication between buyers, merchandisers, and suppliers became faster and more accurate, shortening the lead times needed to launch new product lines and improving shipment tracking from end to end. Data errors fell dramatically, and the efficiency gains were reflected through quotes, purchase orders, and supply chain costs alike. Most strikingly, Kmart increased its sourcing volume by 3.5x with almost no additional headcount — a result that speaks directly to how much capacity had been trapped in manual processes.  

About Kmart Australia

Kmart Australia has over 320 stores and is a leading department store chain in Australia and New Zealand. It is owned by the Kmart Group, a division of Wesfarmers, the largest retail group in Australia with numerous banners.