VF Corporation, the global apparel powerhouse behind The North Face, Vans and Timberland, has announced a major partnership with Nedap to deploy item-level RFID inventory visibility across more than 1,500 stores worldwide.
The collaboration will see VF roll out the Nedap Inventory Engine across its entire brand portfolio, building a unified foundation for real-time stock accuracy and omnichannel retail performance. Deployment begins in Q2 2026 with The North Face, before expanding to additional VF brands over the coming months.
At the heart of the initiative is VF’s ambition to create a single, trusted view of inventory across all its operations. By leveraging Nedap’s RFID-powered platform, the company aims to improve product availability on the shop floor, strengthen omnichannel fulfilment capabilities and deliver a more consistent consumer experience across every touchpoint.
The scope of the programme extends well beyond the store estate. VF has also expanded its RFID initiative into distribution centres and vendor partners at source, giving the company greater transparency across the full supply chain. This broader visibility supports efforts to combat grey-market activity and reinforce brand protection across all regions.
“Our consumers expect the same level of product availability and service whether they shop online, in-store or through any of our brand touchpoints,” said Carsten Trenz, VP of Digital at VF Corporation. “Unified visibility across our operations allows us to deliver that consistency and build long-term customer loyalty.”
Hope Waldron, VP of Supply Chain Strategy at VF Corporation, added: “Extending our RFID programme beyond stores to include distribution centres and vendor partners at the source gives us greater transparency across our entire supply chain. That visibility improves our ability to ensure product availability, strengthen brand protection, and deliver a more consistent consumer experience.”
The decision to partner with Nedap came after VF completed a pilot using an alternative solution and subsequently reassessed its long-term requirements for scalability, architecture and global support. The company ultimately chose Nedap for its proven ability to deliver at scale across complex, multi-brand retail environments.
“In today’s retail landscape, unified commerce only works when brands can rely on one consistent source of truth for their inventory,” said Hilbert Dijkstra, Managing Director Retail at Nedap. “VF’s decision to invest in end-to-end visibility reflects a clear vision for the future: the ability to serve consumers seamlessly across any channel.”
Nedap’s Inventory Engine connects item movement across stores, distribution centres and factories, creating a single reliable view of inventory for the entire retail chain. The platform turns inventory movement into real-time insight, helping retailers operate with greater confidence, agility and precision.
With more than 1,500 stores set to benefit from the rollout, the VF-Nedap partnership represents one of the largest RFID inventory visibility deployments in the fashion and outdoor retail sector this year.