The Supply Chain Pains of Rapid Growth
Supply Chain Unchained
What happens to your supply chain when the business grows faster than the plan, and what a COO with 38 years in retail has learned about backing yourself.
Rapid growth is every retailer’s goal. But when demand outpaces planning, the cracks show up right across the supply chain, from supplier forecasts and freight bookings through to warehouse capacity and last mile delivery. Nobody knows this better than Tracey Lefebure, COO at Ecosa, the Australian sleep brand that has gone from pure ecommerce to opening three physical stores in four weeks.
In this episode, Tracey shares what it actually looks like to manage end-to-end supply chain at a fast-growing retailer, the lessons learned from moving into brick and mortar, and the one pivotal insight that changed how she thinks about planning.
What We Cover
- Tracey’s 38-year background in retail and her role at Ecosa spanning procurement, inventory, supply chain operations and last mile
- How Ecosa opened three physical stores across Geelong, Perth and Narre Warren within four weeks of each other, and what 12 to 18 months of preparation behind that looked like
- Why rapid growth is a supply chain problem as much as a sales problem, touching inventory forecasting, freight capacity, warehousing and last mile all at once
- The challenge of moving from online-only to brick and mortar, including product readiness, store design, talent attraction and brand consistency
- Why sales and inventory forecasting is the pivotal discipline at the heart of everything, and what happens when you underestimate demand at the start of the chain
- The key lesson: if you think the demand is there, back yourself and order accordingly
- How Ecosa approaches supplier relationships as genuine partnerships, and why you cannot simply move production to another factory mid-product
- What Tracey wishes the freight forwarding industry would fix: affordable space, reliable schedules and no last-minute premiums
- Where Ecosa is headed: more physical stores, continued product development, a sleep app, and a supply chain that needs to keep pace with all of it
Guest
Tracey Lefebure
Chief Operating Officer, Ecosa
38 years in retail, end-to-end supply chain leadership
LinkedIn →
“The learning is, if you think it’s there, go for it. If you think the demand is there, back yourself.”
Tracey Lefebure, COO, Ecosa
