The challenge

A U.S.-based specialty gift basket franchise experienced a surge in business following the pandemic. While the increase in order volume created significant growth opportunity, it also introduced operational strain, particularly during peak periods. Limited staffing meant that once a store reached order capacity, additional sales were lost.

Order customization added further complexity, slowing fulfillment and making it difficult for stores to keep pace with demand. Leadership needed a way to improve efficiency and scale store operations without sacrificing quality or customer experience.

The store process improvement approach

Adonis Partners’ expert consultants conducted in-depth, on-site assessments across multiple store locations in the southern United States. These assessments focused on understanding real-world operating conditions and identifying production bottlenecks affecting order intake, assembly, and fulfillment.

Using value stream mapping, the team identified inefficiencies across core processes from order entry through delivery. Collaborative working sessions and Kaizen events were then used to refine workflows and design a future-state operating model. The proposed improvements focused on streamlining critical-path processes to maximize throughput and reduce lost sales during high-demand periods.

The impact

The redesigned store processes enabled a more agile and efficient operating model. The engagement resulted in five in-store Gemba observations to support continuous improvement and more than two hours of daily labor savings per location.

In total, 30 areas for improvement were identified and translated into actionable change measures. By overhauling store-level order processes and operating models, Adonis Partners helped the client improve both profitability and operational performance while positioning the business to better absorb future demand growth.