The Challenge
Vital Pet Group is a UK-based wholesaler specializing in pet accessories and food, operating as part of a wider group with businesses spanning breweries and chocolate.
Within the pet division, inventory is managed by a lean team of three: a director of category, a buyer, and a category assistant. Despite the small team, they oversee a range of approximately 10,000 SKUs. This combination of scale and limited resources made efficient inventory management critical to maintaining performance and growth.
Manual workload
One buyer was responsible for the entire product range, making it difficult to maintain consistent oversight or give adequate attention to each SKU.
Low availibility
Availability levels were lower than expected, sitting at around 75%
No clear prioritization
Based on prior experience, it was clear that automating the long tail of products was necessary.
Inefficient ordering
The team needed a way to reduce manual workload while improving consistency and control across the full range.
The result
AGR has transformed inventory management at Vital Pet Group from a reactive, manual process into a structured and scalable operation. Where the team once struggled to maintain control across 10,000 SKUs, they now operate with greater consistency, visibility, and confidence.
Improved availability, faster workflows, and better use of time have had a direct impact on performance. The team is no longer overwhelmed by the scale of the range and can instead focus on the products and suppliers that drive the most value.
Just as importantly, this transformation has been achieved without increasing headcount. With the right system in place, a small team is now able to manage a large and complex inventory efficiently, supporting both day-to-day operations and long-term growth.
- Fast order creation
AGR significantly reduces the time required to raise purchase orders, turning what was once a lengthy manual task into a quick, streamlined process. This allows the team to process orders efficiently across a large supplier base without adding workload.
- Supplier scheduling
The ability to schedule supplier orders ensures consistency and removes the need for manual tracking. Orders are placed at the right frequency automatically, reducing the risk of missed replenishment and improving overall availability.
- Sales and inventory monitoring
AGR provides a clear view of sales history and inventory performance, helping the team stay on top of key products. This visibility supports better decision-making around service levels and stock management.
- Vendor performance visibility
Vendor cards give clear, immediate insight into supplier performance, including delivery reliability. This makes it easier to monitor suppliers and support more informed commercial discussions.
- Forecasting engine
Once underlying data is clean, AGR’s forecasting provides a reliable foundation for replenishment decisions. The team can largely trust the system, only stepping in manually for exceptions like promotions.
“AGR enables us to do something that would literally have made this company fall over before.”
- Vital Pet Group
- Duncan Reed, Director of Category
Implementation
AGR was implemented quickly, with a working system in place within just a few weeks. The integration with Sage was straightforward, using an existing plugin to connect systems and enable data flow.
During implementation, AGR also surfaced issues within the company’s existing data setup. This provided an opportunity to correct misconfigurations that had been affecting performance, meaning the system delivered value beyond inventory management alone.
Although there was a short learning curve, the platform proved easy to adopt. Within a few weeks, multiple team members were actively using AGR, ensuring shared ownership of processes and reducing reliance on any single individual.
The success
Since implementing AGR, Vital Pet Group has significantly improved both performance and efficiency. Availability has increased from around 75% to approximately 95%, driven by more consistent and structured ordering processes.
A key factor in this improvement is the ability to schedule supplier orders. This ensures that every supplier is ordered at the right frequency, removing the variability and risk associated with manual planning.
Operational efficiency has also improved considerably. Tasks such as raising purchase orders, which previously required substantial time and effort, are now completed in minutes. Across a large supplier base, this creates meaningful time savings and reduces administrative burden.
At the same time, the team has been able to shift its focus. With AGR managing the long tail of products, more time can be spent on high-performing SKUs and strategic supplier relationships. This has improved both decision-making and overall business impact.
AGR has also made the team more resilient. Because the system is easy to use and shared across multiple team members, responsibilities can be covered during absences without disruption. In addition, the ability to quickly adjust safety stock levels has given the business greater control over inventory and cash flow.