How Haribo Keeps Confectionery Launches, Promotions, and Supply Planning in Sync

Coordinating demand forecasting, promotional planning, and production decisions across a fast-moving confectionery portfolio. In confectionery markets, product launches, retail promotions, and seasonal consumption patterns create strong demand volatility. Planning systems must align commercial signals with manufacturing and distribution decisions while maintaining high service levels for retail customers.

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Use Case

Demand Forecasting & Promotional Planning

The Planning Challenge

Haribo operates in a highly dynamic retail environment where demand patterns are shaped by promotional campaigns, product innovation, and seasonal consumption peaks.

Maintaining strong service levels requires precise coordination between sales forecasts, production planning, and supply chain execution.

Several factors increase planning complexity:

  • Frequent product launches across multiple confectionery categories
  • High promotional intensity in modern retail channels
  • Demand volatility driven by marketing campaigns and seasonal consumption
  • The need to align commercial ambitions with manufacturing capacity

Historically, forecasting relied on fragmented processes and manual data consolidation. As the business expanded, Haribo needed a more structured and collaborative planning framework capable of coordinating demand signals across the organization.

Results at a Glance

  • +22% improvement in forecast accuracy over five years
  • 99% customer service level across retail channels
  • Inventory at risk reduced from 8% to less than 2%
  • Stronger collaboration across sales, marketing, finance, and operations

The Transformation

Haribo launched a multi-year transformation of its supply chain planning capabilities.

Using the Sunstice platform, the company implemented a collaborative planning framework connecting demand forecasting, promotional planning, and supply chain operations.

Demand planners now consolidate commercial assumptions from sales and marketing teams into a shared demand forecast at SKU level. This forecast becomes the central reference used across the organization.

The planning process follows a structured Integrated Business Planning cycle covering an 18-month planning horizon.

During this cycle:

  • Sales and marketing review innovation and promotional plans
  • Demand planners validate and consolidate forecasts
  • Supply chain teams align production plans with expected demand
  • Leadership validates the final plan and resolves strategic trade-offs

This collaborative planning framework created a unified demand signal that improves coordination between commercial strategy and operational execution.

Customer Perspective

“Building a collaborative planning framework helped us create a shared demand vision across the organization and significantly improved coordination between commercial teams and operations.”

Supply Chain Leadership Team
Haribo France

Structured Agility™ in Action

Haribo’s planning transformation illustrates Structured Agility™, Sunstice’s operating framework for planning in environments of permanent volatility.

By strengthening demand visibility, integrating promotional planning, and aligning cross-functional decision-making, Haribo improved its ability to anticipate demand fluctuations and adapt operations quickly.

Planning becomes a strategic capability that connects commercial ambitions with operational performance.

Download the full success story and learn how Haribo:

  • Improved forecast accuracy by 22%
  • Built a collaborative demand planning framework
  • Strengthened coordination between commercial and supply chain teams
  • Improved operational performance across retail channels
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