How One Fashion Brand Found ₹1.8Cr in Supplier Leakage

18 months of overcharging went unnoticed. A mid-sized fashion brand was paying significantly more than contracted rates across multiple suppliers—and had no idea until we conducted a systematic vendor audit.

The Situation

This fashion brand had been working with the same core suppliers for 4+ years. Relationships were strong, orders were consistent, and nobody questioned the invoices. The operations team was focused on fulfillment speed and quality—not forensic cost analysis.

During our Complete X-Ray engagement, we requested 18 months of supplier invoices and cross-referenced them against contracted rates, quantity discounts, and payment terms.

What We Found

The Recovery Process

Armed with documented evidence, the brand approached each supplier professionally. Most discrepancies were genuinely unintentional—systems drift, personnel changes, and manual errors accumulated over time.

• ₹1.2Cr was credited back through supplier acknowledgment
• ₹60L was applied as future order discounts
• New automated verification processes were implemented
• Quarterly supplier audits are now standard practice

The Lesson

Long-term supplier relationships are valuable—but they require periodic verification. Trust doesn't mean abandoning oversight. The most costly leakages often hide in plain sight, buried in routine invoices that nobody questions.