Zorbas Group of Companies

Financial Systems & Reporting Transformation Blueprint

About the company

Zorbas Group is a leading Cypriot conglomerate that has grown far beyond its origins as a family bakery in 1975. Today, the group operates extensive manufacturing lines that supply its nationwide network of over 85 outlets, alongside a strong presence in the United States where it has successfully expanded its brand. While its core remains in hospitality and food & beverage, Zorbas has strategically diversified into the energy and real estate sectors, demonstrating a forward-looking approach to growth and sustainability. 

With more than 2,500 employees, a number of state-of-the-art production units, and a portfolio of brands ranging from bakeries to high-end restaurants and cafés, Zorbas Group combines tradition with innovation, positioning itself as one of Cyprus’s most dynamic and internationally minded business groups.

Challenges

Systems and Data
As the group expanded across multiple sectors, its platforms (POS, manufacturing, waste tools, and others) remained disconnected and anchored on a legacy accounting system. Without a proper ERP, there was no unified source of truth to support decision-making at scale.

 

Process and Controls
Data from different departments was collected manually, often through email or hard copy. This approach had served in earlier stages but was no longer efficient at the group’s size, leading to delays, inconsistencies, and limited oversight. Approval workflows, spend caps, and cost center-level accountability needed to be introduced to match the complexity of operations.

 

Reporting
Reporting relied on static P&L exports with limited drill down, and management lacked real-time dashboards or integrated KPIs. Consolidations across entities were slow, and tools to budget or measure profitability at store level were missing. The absence of integration between financial and operational data meant that valuable insights were not easily accessible.

 

Financial Management
Cash flow forecasting and cost center budgeting were difficult to maintain with fragmented data, leaving leadership without real-time visibility across stores, factories, restaurants, and other business units. A more structured system was required to set, monitor, and enforce budgets effectively, providing the financial clarity needed to support strategic growth.

Solution

To address these challenges, we led the design of a transformation framework centered on the implementation of a globally recognized ERP system, integrated with BI reporting. The goal was to replace fragmented, manual processes with a connected ecosystem where financial and operational data could flow seamlessly and support strategic decision-making.

  • Structured Workflows
    We designed invoice and expense approval workflows where every head of department or cost centre would enter invoices directly into the ERP, attach supporting documents, and route them automatically to accounting for review and posting. This structure eliminated inefficiencies from emails and hard copies, reduced errors, and created clear accountability across departments.
  • Expense and Asset Controls
    Workflows were mapped for expenses and capital investments, ensuring approvals at the right management level before costs were recorded. This framework introduced spending caps, budget controls, strengthened cost center discipline, and gave leadership real-time oversight of commitments.
  • Automated Reporting
    We built reporting structures within the ERP to automate financial and operational reporting. This design enabled detailed P&L views, store-level profitability, and group-wide consolidations with drill-down capability , transforming reporting from a static exercise into a real-time management tool.
  • Banking and Reconciliation Automation
    The blueprint included automated bank imports and reconciliations, reducing manual effort, minimizing errors, and providing timely visibility of cash positions to improve cash flow planning.
  • Seamless Operations-to-Finance Link
    We designed end-to-end workflow trails connecting operational data (sales, production, waste etc.) with financial data in the ERP. This structure allowed performance to be tracked not only at group level but also by store, factory, or business unit.
  • Business Intelligence Dashboards
    To complement the ERP, we designed BI dashboards that would connect both ERP and operational systems, giving leadership real-time visibility across all departments and stores. These dashboards provided a single cockpit for monitoring financial and operational with drill-down capability from group to unit level.

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