Expanding into new markets is one thing. Maintaining consistent operations across all of them is another challenge entirely.

For global retailers, growth often brings complexity. Different regulations, local consumer behaviours, and varying store formats can quickly lead to fragmented systems and inconsistent processes. Over time, this makes it harder to scale, compare performance across regions, and maintain a strong brand experience.

To avoid these pitfalls, leading brands like our customer adidas focus on building a standardised retail foundation that supports both global clarity and local flexibility.

Here is how this approach ensures consistent operations across more than 30 countries.

1. Standardising core processes across regions

When each country runs on different systems, you cannot get a clear picture of what is happening across all your locations. Your teams lack real-time visibility into performance across the chain, the customer experience becomes fragmented between regions, and rolling out new initiatives is both costly and time-consuming.

Because adidas uses the same platform across stores, all its core retail processes are standardised across markets. From store operations to data management, teams worldwide follow the same foundational workflows, making it easier to maintain consistency across all locations.

2. Enabling flexibility based on local needs

While standardisation is essential, global retailers cannot afford a one-size-fits-all approach. Local regulations, tax rules, and customer expectations vary widely, and systems need to reflect that.

Adidas balances this through technology that supports localisation within a global framework. Regional teams can adjust workflows, reporting, and compliance settings without breaking the overall structure.

This ensures adidas remains compliant and competitive in each market, without fragmenting its technology landscape or creating data silos.

3. Scaling faster with a centralised database

Opening new stores or entering new markets often means complex system setups, long onboarding times, and heavy training requirements. When you do not have a clear view of operations, these challenges can slow expansion and increase costs.

By leveraging a centralised database, adidas can scale more efficiently. New stores are onboard faster with minimal errors and employees are trained more efficiently across stores. Meanwhile, real-time data gives leadership instant visibility into performance, enabling faster decision-making and ensuring global initiatives are implemented accurately.

Why retailers like adidas select LS Retail technology

With a retail platform like LS Central integrated seamlessly to SAP S/4HANA, adidas is able to operate globally with local flexibility in mind, access real-time data across stores, and scale according to its needs.

“LS Retail technology has a very high footprint in adidas,” says Andreas Bierlmeier, Senior Director of Tech Management at adidas. “We use it across multiple regions… in over [1,300] stores across more than 30 countries.”

By growing on a unified foundation instead of reinventing systems market by market, adidas reduces operational complexity while enabling continuous global expansion.

Looking to expand your retail or hospitality business across locations, regions, and markets? Contact our experts or visit us at booth S30 at the Retail Technology Show to demo our global POS and operations platform and discover how we can help you succeed.

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