Relex Solutions

Relex Solutions, stylised as RELEX Solutions, is a Finnish software company based in Helsinki that specializes in supply chain and retail planning solutions.

History and overview

The company was founded in 2005 by Mikko Kärkkäinen, Johanna Småros, and Michael Falck.^[1]^[2] It offers the Relex Living Retail Platform, a cloud-based solution that focuses on demand planning, merchandising, supply chain management, and workforce planning.^[3]^[4]^[5]

In the early 2010s, RELEX Solutions continued its expansion in the Nordic and broader European markets, building on its initial customer base in Finland and Sweden. During this period, the company focused on increasing its deployment of supply chain and retail planning solutions, attracting its first significant implementations outside its domestic market and establishing a presence in new regional markets. ^[6]

In 2014, RELEX Solutions was recognised as one of Europe’s fastest-growing supply chain solution providers, appearing on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ EMEA list for the fourth consecutive year. By this time, the company had expanded its workforce to around 100 employees and had opened additional offices in locations including Norway, reflecting its broader geographic growth within Europe. ^[7]

Relex Solutions acquired Galleria in 2016 for category planning,^[5]^[8] Zenopt in 2019 for workforce planning,^[9]^[10] Formulate in 2022 for promotion planning,^[11]^[12]^[13] and Optimity in 2024 for upstream supply chain planning.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Relex has secured €20 million in 2015,^[8]^[18]^[19] $10 million from Summit Partners in 2017,^[20] $200 million from TCV in 2019,^[18]^[21]^[22] and €500 million from Blackstone Group in 2022.^[23]^[24]^[25]^[19]

In 2022, RELEX Solutions established the "RELEX Foundation for a Better Future" to combat climate change and address inequality, pledging €10 million in cash and €100 million in company stocks.

In 2023, RELEX Solutions continued to develop artificial intelligence–based functionalities designed to support and automate supply chain planning processes. The company expanded integrations with technology partners and increased adoption of its platform among retailers, distributors, and consumer goods companies, further extending its international customer base.^[26]

In 2025, RELEX Solutions continued to focus on the development and deployment of advanced AI-driven planning tools. The company reported continued growth in recurring revenue and broader adoption of its solutions, while further exploring the use of autonomous and agent-based AI systems to support complex planning and decision-making processes.^[27]

Awards

Relex Solutions received the Technology Project of the Year and the Supply Chain and Logistics Award at the Retail Systems Awards in 2019.^[28]

References

[1] "RELEX Solutions CEO and Key Executive Team". https://craft.co/relex-solutions/executives.

[2] "RELEX Solutions - Org Chart, Teams, Culture & Jobs" (in en). https://theorg.com/org/relex-solutions.

[:0-3] "RELEX Solutions and Accenture to Help Lowe’s Enhance Inventory Planning". https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2024/relex-solutions-and-accenture-to-help-lowe-s-enhance-inventory-planning.

[:1-4] "383: Transform Your Supply Chain and Retail Planning, with RELEX Solutions • Let's Talk Supply Chain" (in en-US). 2024-01-02. https://letstalksupplychain.com/383-transform-your-supply-chain-and-retail-planning-with-relex-solutions/.

[:4-5] 5.0 ^5.1 "Relex Solutions Among Apps Top 500". https://www.appsruntheworld.com/cloud-top-500-applications-vendors/relex-solutions/?apps=true.

[6] ttps://canvasbusinessmodel.com/blogs/brief-history/relex-solutions-brief-history?srsltid=AfmBOoo0gl-bRzn-G0kPNi5FSNI_vLCBhP7SaDMnrXfnzjNdlQLRmOJq

[7] ttps://www.relexsolutions.com/news/relex-named-europes-fastest-growing-scm-solution-provider-for-the-fourth-year-running/

[:6-8] 8.0 ^8.1 Tirico, Klaudia (2017-09-13). "RELEX Solutions Secures Second Funding Round" (in en-US). https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/financial-news/relex-solutions-secures-second-funding-round.

[9] "RELEX Solutions acquires Zenopt | 2019-06-27 | Refrigerated & Frozen Foods" (in en). https://www.refrigeratedfrozenfood.com/articles/97593-relex-solutions-acquires-zenopt.

[10] "RELEX Solutions Fuels Growth with Additional Funding from Summit Partners" (in en). https://www.summitpartners.com/news/relex-solutions-fuels-growth-with-additional-funding-from-summit-partners.

[11] Novac, Dragos. "Formulate was acquired by Relex Solutions." (in en). https://nordic9.com/news/formulate-was-acquired-by-relex-solutions/.

[12] "RELEX Solutions announces Formulate acquisition" (in en-US). 2024-03-24. https://retailtechinnovationhub.com/home/2022/5/13/relex-solutions-announces-formulate-acquisition.

[13] veloper (2022-05-13). "RELEX Solutions Acquires Formulate to Advance Promotional Planning Solutions as Part of Unified Platform" (in en-US). https://multichannelmerchant.com/press-releases/relex-solutions-acquires-formulate-to-advance-promotional-planning-solutions-as-part-of-unified-platform/.

[14] PYMNTS (2024-01-03). "Relex Acquires Optimity to Bolster Retail and Supply Chain Platform" (in en-US). https://www.pymnts.com/acquisitions/2024/relex-acquires-optimity-to-bolster-retail-and-supply-chain-platform/.

[15] "RELEX Solutions acquires supply chain vendor Optimity" (in en-US). https://nucleusresearch.com/research/single/relex-solutions-acquires-supply-chain-vendor-optimity/.

[16] "RELEX Solutions, Optimity Acquisition to Unify Upstream Supply Chain Planning and Optimization" (in en-us). 2024-01-03. https://www.foodlogistics.com/software-technology/software-solutions/news/22882833/relex-solutions-relex-solutions-optimity-acquisition-to-unify-upstream-supply-chain-planning-and-optimization.

[17] "Finland's RELEX Solutions acquires Sweden-based Optimity to bolster its retail and supply chain platform | Silicon Canals" (in en-US). 2024-01-03. https://siliconcanals.com/news/relex-solutions-acquires-optimity/.

[:7-18] 18.0 ^18.1 "RELEX SOLUTIONS FUNDING". https://app.dealroom.co/companies/relex_solutions.

[:12-19] 19.0 ^19.1 "RELEX Solutions Raises €500M to Help Retailers and Brands Avoid Food Waste and Tackle Disruptions in Global Supply Chains" (in en). https://www.summitpartners.com/news/relex-solutions-raises-eu500m-to-help-retailers-and-brands-avoid-food-waste-and-tackle-disruptions-in-global-supply-chains.

[20] "Summit Partners | Companies | RELEX Solutions" (in en). https://www.summitpartners.com/companies/relex-solutions.

[:3-21] "Relex | TCV" (in en). https://www.tcv.com/partnerships/relex.

[:14-22] "RELEX Solutions: Revenue, Competitors, Alternatives". https://growjo.com/company/RELEX_Solutions.

[:9-23] "Relex Solutions raises €500 million in Blackstone led round, now at €5 billion valuation" (in en-GB). 2022-02-17. https://tech.eu/2022/02/17/relex-solutions-raises-500-million-in-blackstone-led-round-now-at-5-billion-valuation/.

[24] Marston, Jennifer (2022-02-19). "Brief: Relex raises $568m to help grocery retailers fight food waste" (in en-US). https://agfundernews.com/relex-solutions-raises-568m-to-help-grocery-retailers-fight-food-waste-and-supply-chain-disruptions.

[:10-25] "RELEX Solutions valuation is $5.68B after Blackstone financing. RELEX Solutions competitors in the retail supply chain market include Crisp, Antuit.ai, NewStore, Afresh, and Logility.". https://www.cbinsights.com/research/relex-solutions-competitors-crisp-antuit-ai-newstore-afresh-logility/.

[26] ttps://www.relexsolutions.com/news/relex-and-fourkites-establish-strategic-partnership-for-advanced-supply-chain-visibility/

[27] ttps://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120951865/en/RELEX-Solutions-Launches-AI-Assisted-Diagnostics-to-Identify-Root-Causes-and-Prevent-Lost-Sales

[28] "Retail Systems Awards". http://www.retail-systems.com/awards/.

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