QSC AG wins major order from the Fressnapf Group to introduce an SAP multi-cloud environment

• Contract term and scope extended through to 2023
• Flexible cloud landscape to digitalise business processes
• Ready-to-go model for SAP applications management and cloud operations from a single source

The Fressnapf Group, Europe’s leading retail chain for pet food and accessories, has commissioned QSC AG to migrate its SAP systems and additional IT solutions to the cloud. In future, the company’s SAP environment will be operated in SAP’s HANA Enterprise Cloud. QSC will act as general contractor for SAP operations and application management. Moreover, QSC may also provide the POS solution for the Fressnapf Group, as well as further systems, from its own cloud environment in future.

Digitalisation and growth strategy at the Fressnapf Group

"Our expansion – both online and offline – is one of our key drivers. We currently have more than 1,500 stores in eleven countries across Europe and have linked up four countries, most recently Austria, to our online shop. This year, we will launch operations with our web shop in Poland and a further country is set to follow", comments Benjamin Beinroth, Senior Vice President IT & Processes at the Fressnapf Group. "We see things completely from the perspective of our customers. We aim to satisfy their expectations and offer a smooth and service-based, cross-channel shopping experience at Fressnapf. Bespoke IT infrastructure that is flexible and rapidly scalable is crucial here. By working with QSC, we know we have a competent and strategically important partner at our side."

As well as introducing next-level IT for the Fressnapf Group’s core systems, QSC will also migrate its SAP ERP and CRM solutions to the real-time database SAP HANA. Among other benefits, this will enable the Fressnapf Group to obtain assessments, for example in its financial reporting, far more quickly. QSC has already successfully migrated the Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Activity Repository (CAR) SAP systems to SAP HANA on behalf of the Fressnapf Group.

One-stop solution for optimal technology mix

Furthermore, QSC’s Plusnet subsidiary operates the pan-European MPLS network for the Fressnapf Group. This connects individual locations to the company’s central business system. As the cloudification of IT and digitalisation of markets progresses, it is planned to gradually extend bandwidths using the most suitable technology in each case – such as fibre optics, DSL, LTE or WLL.

Comments Jürgen Hermann, CEO of QSC AG, with regard to the latest major order: "This success underlines the strength of our position as digitaliser to the German SME sector with our portfolio of services. We can look back on a longstanding partnership of trust with the Fressnapf Group. Building on this, we can now continue as service provider and actively accompany the group of companies as it advances its digitalisation."

Ready-to-go transition model for further SAP cloud projects

With this transition and operations model, which involves QSC migrating SAP systems to the HANA Enterprise Cloud, SAP acting as the delivering partner and QSC working as general contractor for applications management, the Company has created a blueprint for transforming other customers‘ systems. For this, QSC has been awarded "Enterprise Gold Partner" status by SAP. Not only that, QSC has established an internal competence centre to work on further developing its range of services for HANA Enterprise Cloud.