Boot Barn Scales Distribution Operations With Hai Robotics to Power Nationwide Retail Growth

When Boot Barn, the world's largest retailer of Western wear, embarked on a quest for enhanced distribution efficiency, they knew they needed more than just a bigger warehouse. With a booming revenue and rapidly growing 400+ store count, the cowboy boot and hat giant turned to advanced goods-to-person automation to support in-store replenishment and a seamless omnichannel customer experience.

In collaboration with Industrial Procurement Services (IndPro) and SSI SCHAEFER, Boot Barn looked to optimize their order picking and fulfillment operations at a new 450,000-square-foot facility in Kansas City, Missouri. “In designing the system, our goal was to reduce labor requirements and increase throughput,” said Mark Juelich, President of IndPro. The result was the integration of the HaiPick Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS).

The impact was profound. Boot Barn’s HaiPick System features 34-foot high, lights-out storage, effectively doubling the storage density compared to Boot Barn’s California-based distribution center. With an impressive throughput rate of 460 totes per hour and 100% picking accuracy, the system has become a cornerstone of the Kansas City operation. “This system brings reliability to the distribution network of Boot Barn, ensuring a better, more fulfilling customer experience,” said Brian Reinhart, Chief Revenue Officer at Hai Robotics USA.

One of the standout benefits of the HaiPick System is its flexibility. The system’s ability to adapt has been pivotal for Boot Barn’s aggressive growth strategy. Reinhart highlighted, “Over the past year, we’ve gone through three different expansions with Boot Barn to handle their aggressive growth. The ability to expand like that on the fly is really unique to [Hai].”

The Kansas City facility now dispatches half a million units each week, all while reducing labor requirements by 50%. The unique design of Boot Barn’s HaiPick System ensures that each order undergoes only a single human touchpoint — significantly streamlining operations while achieving a 250% increase in efficiency over traditional wire-guided order picking methods.

The project's success is a testament to the collaborative efforts between Boot Barn, Hai Robotics, and integration partners IndPro and SSI SCHAEFER. Reinhart said: “What really made the project a success was that all three companies worked together with Boot Barn’s best interest in mind.”