GWC, Darwish unit sign deal to boost supply chain

Gulf Warehousing Company (GWC) has signed a three-year agreement with Darwish Corporate for storing and distribution, as part of strengthening the supply chain.

“We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to work with Darwish Corporate and add value to their supply chain through specialised warehousing and personalised delivery solutions,” Basem Chbaklo, GWC executive director, said.

The team and warehouse setup had been specifically designed for this project, which was characterised by its diversified portfolio of products ranging from bulky items such as pianos down to the most delicate items such as eyeliners and lipstick, he said.

Chbaklo said all items are kept in a highly monitored environment with strict security measures, steady climate control, and specialised storage retrieval systems, adding each item was catalogued and barcoded individually, and orders were placed by the different Darwish entities’ sales teams through an integration between the two companies’ IT platforms, allowing them to have real-time visibility of the items and place orders online.

From receiving the items and performing a piece count verification, to the daily picking of thousands of line items and consolidating in hundreds of orders for delivery to outlets each day including home deliveries, invoices are signed and returned to Darwish Corporate making the service a true turnkey solution, according to him.

“Along with Darwish Corporate we have continued to develop the service levels and maintained inventory accuracy of 99.99%. This is achieved through a robust process and supported by Warehouse Management Technology,” Chbaklo said.

Hamdi Dessouki, assistant general manager and head of supply chain at Darwish Corporate, Darwish Holding’s internal management entity, said the agreement could only mean that it was committed to the highest standards of quality throughout its operations from timely procurement to safe and efficient storage up to service-aware prompt delivery and in order to maintain this best practice it needed to align with partners who shared common corporate values.

Darwish Corporate services the different companies and units belonging to Darwish Holding such as Darwish Retail that incorporates the Fifty One East Stores and Moderna and Darwish Technology with brands such as Sony, Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Yamaha, Sony Ericsson, HTC and Apple.Darwish Fashion houses some of the world’s most iconic brands like Brioni, Lanvin, Kiton, Sartorio Napoli, Bikkemberg, Etiqueta Negra, US Polo, Cerruti 1881, Gentleman Farmer, Calvin Klein, Bally, Moreschi, Harrys of London and Barret for men and Abed Mahfouz, Azzaro, Casadei, Diane Von Furstenberg, George Chakra, George Hobeika, Giambattista Valli, Marchesa, Nancy Gonzales and Zagliani for women

Darwish Consumer houses brands such as L’Oreal, Garnier, Kerastase ,Vichy, Yardley; and Darwish Luxury with brands such as Chanel, Givenchy, Amwage, Elizabeth Arden, for Cosmetics and Fragrances and Rolex, Tudor, Armand Nicolet, Faberge, Zeno-Basel Watches, H Moser & Cie, Boucheron, Guy Laroche, Cacharel, Crislu, Nina Ricci, Amore Baci and Parker for Timepieces and Jewelry.