Impacts of supply chain management and fast fashion in kids wear markets : Case study: Reima Oy

Kids wear markets have been on the growth curve within the recent years. Kids fashion markets are growing faster than the fashion business for adults. There is one phenomenon affecting this substantial growth in kids wear, fast fashion. Fast fashion is term used for fashion retailers using quick manufacturing to get the goods to stores within weeks. The idea is to get the latest fashion trends seen on the fashion week for consumers quickly but with cheaper price than the original design. The aim of this study is to look into what impacts does supply chain management and fast fashion have on growing kids wear markets. To look more closely the research was carried through with a case study made about Finnish kids wear producer, Reima Oy. In addition, companies Reima Oy and H&M, were compared in order to find out whether these two companies in the same markets have big differences in their operations. Reima Oy’s operations are based in Finland and the production and warehousing are outsourced. Aim of this thesis is to provide answers to research questions regarding of the impact of good supply chain management in company’s success, what effects fast fashion has on supply chain management and how Reima Oy can answer to the needs of consumers. The research was carried through with qualitative research and primary data. In qualitative research literature, websites, web publications and company material were used. Primary data was gathered from the interviews made for two employees of the case study company and author’s own observations through her employment in the case study company. The research results indicated the importance of supply chain management part of competitive strategy and how big role the supply chain management has on Reima Oy’s success. In addition, there were clear results on how big impact fast fashion has on supply chains. Without competitive supply chain, retail brands like H&M will fall behind of the competition