twelfth · Glossary · Stock and supply
Weeks of cover
Also called stock cover, days of cover
Weeks of cover is how long current stock will last at the expected rate of sale: stock on hand divided by forecast weekly sales.
What it means for retail and category teams
Some teams use days of cover instead, and some include stock on order. Cover puts stock and demand in the same unit, which is why availability, allocation and markdown decisions are often set in weeks of cover rather than units. The rate of sale behind it matters: a recent promotion inflates it and a recent stockout deflates it, so a cover figure is only as reliable as the demand estimate underneath.
Why it matters
Too little cover means missed sales; too much ties up cash and space and raises the risk of markdown. Reading cover across locations shows where the team can improve availability before making a larger commitment.
Illustrative example
The business and figures are illustrative, not customer data
A popular kettle is selling faster in one store than another. The team sees the risk of a gap early and shifts stock from the slower store, protecting sales without increasing the total stock held.
Related terms
Related on twelfth.ai
- twelfth for merchandise planners
Continuous demand, cover and flow monitoring that shows where the buy plan and the actual trade have come apart.