Christian von Grone, Gerry Weber International AG

“There are no ‘question marks’ about the future of RFID. We have seen overwhelming interest in what we are doing. RFID has a bright future in the apparel sector.”

Christian von Grone, Chief Information Officer, Gerry Weber International AG

How does your company use RFID technology?
In the end of 2009, we officially launched the rollout of a breakthrough project across our international supply chain that uses RFID to optimise our logistics and retail processes. Working together with our partners, 25 million Gerry Weber garments every year will now have a single label that simultaneously provides fabric care instructions, goods tracking functionality and the electronic product code which is needed to manage accounting and inventory. RFID chip is integrated into these labels. We are also the first company anywhere in Germany to employ RFID for article surveillance: these RFID tags will also serve a security function, as they will only be deactivated when items have been properly paid for. If a shoplifter tries to steal goods, an alarm is triggered at the shop’s exit.

What benefits does RFID bring to your company?
We expect to see a wide variety of benefits for our logistics and retail management. For example, there will be improved monitoring of delivery quality with our logistics service providers, because we can quickly and easily check deliveries for accuracy and completeness. Returns processes will be greatly accelerated; in fact, all goods-in and goods-out processes will be easier and quicker – we saw this already is a series of pre-launch pilots. We also know we’ll see fewer out-of–stock-situations thanks to improved inventory accuracy. To ensure a uniform approach and maximum cost efficiency, we are using GS1 and GS1 EPCglobal standards.

Some people worry about privacy when they think of RFID: Will these RFID tags serve as a way for Gerry Weber to "spy" on customers?
No, of course not. Nevertheless, at Gerry Weber, we take these concerns very seriously and we are committed to protecting the privacy of our customers. All of our stores will have signs that clearly indicate that RFID is being used, and how, and why. The tags themselves do not contain or collect any personal information about the purchaser; they only contain information about the garment to which they are attached. The RFID chip is sewn inside a label that very clearly says “Please remove before wearing” with a dotted-line and the pictogram of a pair of scissors showing where to cut in order to remove the chip but not the care instructions. Even if a person does not cut the RFID chip off the label, the chip is rendered completely inactive after 2 or 3 washings anyhow.

Has this project attracted any attention from your competitors or the textile media?
Absolutely. This is a real milestone for the entire apparel sector. The fact that RFID can be used to provide such a variety of functions, from logistics management to electronic article surveillance, is certainly one of the most important recent developments in the apparel sector. We are quite certain that in 18 to 24 months an increasing number of apparel companies operating their own retail stores will be launching projects like ours.

What is your vision for RFID in the future – both at Gerry Weber and in general?
There are no ‘question marks’ about the future of RFID. We have seen overwhelming interest in what we are doing, from our suppliers, from our points of sale, from IT companies, from other apparel companies and more. RFID has a bright future in the apparel sector.


The brands of Gerry Weber International AG attract attention worldwide with more than 340 dedicated stores, over 1,800 shop-in-shop areas throughout the world and successful online shops. The versatile fashion strikes the same chord with customers whether in Berlin, Dubai or Ottawa. Thirty-seven years after being founded by Gerhard Weber and Udo Hardieck, Gerry Weber has become a listed, internationally known lifestyle group. Read more about Gerry Weber at www.gerryweber.de and about their RFID project (and others) at www.fashiongroupRFID.de.