Wim van Aalst, JD Sports Fashion: ‘I am a real bridge builder’

Wim van Aalst had already retired when he was offered a supply chain position at JD Sports Fashion, headquartered in the UK. As Chief Supply Chain Officer, he will at least make sure that this company quickly has planning and inventory tools. ‘I found it shocking that there were still hardly any suitable tools for merchandising & buying. A lot of work was still being done with Excel files. Those tools are going to come.’

Why this move?

‘Prior to this, I held a position with The Shoprite Group in South Africa. It was a temporary appointment that came to an end. I then took early retirement. Until I got a call from a headhunter offering a supply chain position in the sporting goods industry, without naming the company. It immediately started itching. In the past, I worked for Adidas (where he led the Adidas Centre of Excellence Global Operations, ed.) and since then I have always kept a warm feeling for sports and fashion. At the first meeting afterwards with the CEO of JD Sports Fashion, there was a good click. In doing so, I very much rely on my feelings, because although I can trust my own abilities, you can’t do it alone: it’s all about the team and getting energy from that. On 1 July 2024, I started working there.’

What does the new position entail?

‘As CSCO, I am responsible for the supply chain organisation of Europe and the UK, including building a new supply chain team as many people have disappeared from it. The second responsibility is to create a centre of excellence for the global supply chain, focusing on North America and Asia-Pacific. Outside Europe, we are now growing through acquisitions, which presents a big intellectual challenge in building end-to-end product flow management capabilities. We are currently building new warehouses in Sydney (Australia) and near San Francisco (US). The Sydney warehouse will go live soon, the US warehouse should be operational by the end of 2024.’

Why are you the right person for this job?

‘Firstly, I have experience in automation, which is important because we will be working with automated warehouses. Both in Australia and the US, but also in the Netherlands. Things are not running smoothly there yet, due to lack of good cooperation. We are currently working hard on this and automation is “on track” for 2025. Secondly, I have a lot of experience in the end-to-end supply chain and thirdly, I want to get rid of silo thinking; I am a real bridge builder.’

What’s on the supply chain agenda in the near future?

‘I found it shocking that there were still hardly any suitable tools for merchandising & buying. No, say, supply chain planning tools and tools for inventories. A lot of work was still done with Excel files. Those tools are going to come.’

What is your supply chain vision and what will be important in it in the (near) future?

‘As I have said before, I want to get away from silo thinking. The organisation should revolve around collaboration. That is key for success. Because ultimately, we want to become the biggest global player of sports fashion in retail.’