BROCARD is the undisputed leader of Ukraine’s premium cosmetics and perfume market, delighting customers with beauty and luxury since 1997. Today, it is the country’s largest luxury retail chain, with 67 stores across 22 cities. BROCARD offers products from over 530 global premium brands, 72 Ukrainian brands, and 123 niche manufacturers. A wide product range, personalized attention, and continuous service improvements have earned BROCARD the loyalty of more than 2.1 million customers.
The brand’s strategy — combining a convenient online service, the unique atmosphere of its physical stores, high-quality products sourced directly from manufacturers, and an individualized approach to every customer — has secured BROCARD’s undeniable success in the market. However, rapid expansion also brought new challenges. Always focused on improvement, BROCARD set out to unify and automate its core business processes — from inventory management and point-of-sale operations to marketing and analytics — through a modern technology solution. Why BROCARD chose LS Central as the platform to integrate every aspect of its retail business, how the implementation was carried out, and the results it delivered — you’ll find in this success story.
Business Challenges: Why BROCARD Decided to Upgrade Its Software
As BROCARD scaled its operations, the limitations of using separate, fragmented systems that did not exchange data automatically became increasingly evident. Business processes ran across different platforms and synchronized only afterwards, which sometimes delayed decision-making and created risks for financial stability. Without timely oversight, the company faced potential losses from excess inventory, inefficient planning, or reporting errors — all of which directly impacted profitability. When selecting new software, the BROCARD team identified several key areas that required immediate improvement:
- Fragmented systems and lack of integration: Sales, warehouse, and accounting data were updated with delays, preventing managers from seeing the full picture in real time.
- Complex daily operations: Inventory management, order creation, stock control, and other processes were overly time-consuming and required duplicate entries across multiple systems.
- Lengthy employee training: New hires had to master several outdated systems at once, slowing down their onboarding and adaptation.
- Limited growth opportunities: Without digital integration, the company could not effectively expand its retail network, quickly open new stores, or scale its online sales.
Since our company was running many projects with different teams, the biggest difficulties always came down to integration. Challenges arose even during daily operations — external and internal correspondence, file management, manually entering products into two separate systems (one for the office, another for the online store and retail network). On top of that, some processes had to be handled outside the main platforms — in spreadsheets and subsystems — because the previous solution simply couldn’t provide the level of integration we needed. Managing so many platforms not only slowed down our work but also complicated staff training: new employees had to learn five to seven different systems at once.
The situation was further complicated by outdated software that the company had been using since 2002. It not only lacked opportunities for further development but also conflicted with some of the marketing tools the company wanted to introduce. On top of that, the vendor eventually stopped providing updates. For a company of BROCARD’s scale, it became clear: it was time to switch to a modern solution capable of integrating all departments and opening new opportunities for brand growth.
Why LS Central Was Chosen: Advantages and Platform Functionality
To find software that matched BROCARD’s high standards, the company reviewed its business processes and defined the key requirements for a new solution:
- Omnichannel approach: The system had to connect customers, products, and services from all channels into one platform.
- User interface: It had to be simple, convenient, intuitive, and adaptable to the local language.
- Scalability: The solution needed to be able to “grow” together with the retail network.
- E-commerce readiness: Launching a new online store required flexible, fast product management across multiple channels.
Another important selection criterion was the solution integrator. BROCARD understood that successful implementation required a vendor with deep expertise specifically in the Ukrainian market. Ultimately, the company chose SMART business — a Microsoft partner with years of experience delivering enterprise solutions (ERP, CRM, analytics, cloud services, etc.), particularly in retail.
We wanted to work with a partner who not only knew the product well but also understood our market, culture, and the specifics of local retail. From the very start of our collaboration, it was clear that SMART business had the right expertise and resources. Their team recommended LS Central, which turned out to be a perfect fit for our needs.
After evaluating several ERP systems, BROCARD chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with the LS Central extension. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central became the core platform for unifying the company’s key business processes, while LS Central optimized financial accounting, POS operations, store management, logistics, product assortment, omnichannel sales, loyalty programs, and marketing campaigns.
BROCARD selected LS Central for its many advantages:
- Unified sales channels and omnichannel capabilities: The system synchronizes online and offline stores, shows real-time product availability across all channels, and automates order processing for both delivery and pickup.
- Centralized product control: LS Central automates inventory tracking with modern tools (including RFID systems for fast identification), optimizes stock management, and streamlines product transfers between stores and warehouses — helping the company quickly respond to shifts in demand or shortages.
- POS and self-service support: POS modules, mobile cash registers, and self-service functions ease the workload on staff and speed up customer service.
- Marketing tools: Customer segmentation and access to purchase history enable more effective audience engagement — personalized promotions, automated loyalty programs, and more.
- Real-time analytics and reporting: Automatically generated reports, visual KPI dashboards, and analytical tools provide instant visibility into network performance and support informed decision-making.
- Technological compatibility: Built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the solution leverages technologies already familiar to BROCARD, making the transition to the new system smoother.
- Scalability: The system supports both cloud and hybrid infrastructures, depending on the company’s needs. Thanks to its modular architecture, functionality can be expanded step by step as the company grows.
The new solution’s technological alignment with the previous platform (SQL Server and .NET) also promised a smooth transition and easier training for the BROCARD team. Still, as with any new integration, the process came with its own challenges.
How the Team Overcame Technical and Situational Integration Challenges
The rollout of LS Central in BROCARD’s physical stores began at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic — an enormous challenge for the team. Organizing effective communication while most processes had to move online was no easy task.
The implementation process was carried out mostly remotely, which was unusual both for our company and for many others. This period gave us unique experience in organizing project work and applying agile methodology — something we now use in other initiatives as well.
The company first launched a pilot in one store to test the solution and analyze the results. After a successful trial, BROCARD decided to roll out the system across the entire chain. Thanks to the joint efforts of BROCARD and SMART business teams, the full network — 96 stores at the time — switched to LS Central in just four months.
The greatest challenge arose during integration with the online platform on Magento CMS: configuration required more time due to the complexity of business processes and the scale of operations. LS Central needed careful adaptation to fully cover all of BROCARD’s specific workflows. At first, the company tried to handle much of the work internally, but it soon became clear that relying on the partner’s expertise would be more effective. With SMART business involved, the integration was completed successfully and in the right format.
Results of Implementing LS Central: Speed, Accuracy, and Scalability
Implementing LS Central taught us the most important lesson — how to scale quickly and respond to challenges. We can already see how the decision to adopt new software was the right one and how positively it has impacted many of our business processes.
By moving to LS Central, BROCARD gained a full 360° view of its business — from POS and finance to warehousing and supply chains. All key processes now operate within a single, synchronized system. The main results of the integration include:
- Automation of key processes
Manual and time-consuming tasks are now automated, optimizing team resources and reducing the likelihood of errors. - Single source of truth
All information about products, orders, and customers is processed within one system, providing accurate data for fast, informed decisions. - Faster order processing
Automatic order capture allows the company to handle 5–10 times more customer requests during peak periods without additional strain on the call center. - Full inventory transparency
Employees and online shoppers can see real-time stock availability thanks to the omnichannel model. - Optimized warehousing and delivery
Enhanced picking and order-fulfillment processes significantly increased warehouse throughput. - Fewer POS errors
Integration of banking terminals with the POS system reduced transaction mistakes and cashier errors. - Lower infrastructure costs
The updated system allowed a review of necessary in-store equipment, reducing maintenance costs and improving network reliability. - Improved customer service
Tracking order history and analyzing customer preferences enables operators to provide prompt online assistance, while marketing teams can create personalized offers and targeted campaigns. - Increased IT department efficiency
New project management approaches developed during implementation optimized support, development, and internal processes.
LS Central modernized BROCARD’s business processes and laid the foundation for further scaling and strengthening the company’s position as the undisputed leader in Ukraine’s beauty retail market. The brand has no intention of stopping — the implementation of the new system was just the first step in BROCARD’s broader digital transformation. The company’s past development milestones show a constant focus on growth and innovation, and the SMART business team is ready to support that journey
BROCARD’s comprehensive approach to building a scalable IT ecosystem on Microsoft technologies is already delivering tangible results. The LS Central implementation story is a clear example of transformative change and a readiness not just to adapt to modern challenges, but to turn them into growth opportunities.
