Dave Persson and his wife Christine, once a teacher; recognized the need for a store that would serve teachers as well as parents. The result was The School Box, launched in Marietta, Georgia, in 1990, which now includes a catalog and Internet business as well as 14-1/2 stores – the latter a mobile store that tours rural neighborhoods. The School Box maintains approximately 15,000 active and 22,000 total SKUs, with about 60 percent of its business coming from its stores, while 40 percent is derived from its fast-growing catalog and internet business.
As The School Box grew, it strained the limits of its inventory management system, a module of its 18-year-old POS that was never really intended to run a warehouse. Since its main distribution facility was limited to 18,000 square feet at the back end of one of its retail stores the company was forced to rent extra warehouse space in preparation for "back-to-school", a time when stores demand higher inventory and Internet orders surge from 50 per day to 1,200 a week. Persson and his staff knew the current system was costing the chain in excess inventory, order accuracy and productivity.
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