To provide an inventory control system and inventory control method whereby the inventory control of the warehouses dotted over the country is standardized and controlled centrally so as to deliver merchandise rapidly and accurately according to the receipt of order.

An order receipt terminal station 2 which generates order receipt data showing the content of order of customers and stores a terminal station inventory master for controlling the stock of merchandise, a central information processing station 3 which generates delivery instruction data and stores a processing station stock master based on the order receipt data prepared by the order receipt terminal station 2, and multiple physical distribution base stations 4 which perform data processing based on the delivery instruction data and store the base station stock master to which stock in the base station is registered are connected to each other through a communication network 5 in order to form an inventory control system 1.