Leading Retailers Get Fit to Survive and Prosper During Economic Challenges

Survival of the Retail Fittest

Leading Retailers Get Fit to Survive and Prosper During Economic Challenges

Issued June 3, 2008

ATLANTA--Aldata Solution, Inc., a leading provider of software solutions for the retail industry, today announced a retail business briefing series that offers examples of how leading retailers are positioning for long-term competitive advantage. "Survival of the Fittest," the first in the series, is compiled from industry and customer research to highlight how retailers can survive and prosper in the present tough economic climate. The business briefing is available for download at www.vmonline.com/aldata/rbb/us/.

"Retailers across the United States and Western Europe suffer from a combination of shrinking customer demand, high costs of goods and increasing energy challenges that are unprecedented in recent history," stated Allan Davies, CMO of Aldata. "We want to help our customers survive and even prosper during this recessionary period. Therefore, we commissioned research to analyze best practices for retail fitness in conjunction with leading retail industry analysts and will publish the results in a four part series."

"Survival of the Fittest" provides an easy-to-read summary of the strategies retailers have successfully deployed to increase retail fitness and to optimize technology investments for efficient operations. Topics and customers covered include:

1) Buying Better- Thorntons, a UK-based chocolatier with 400 shops and cafes, recently replaced its outdated legacy system and manual processes with an integrated supply-chain suite. The new system enables the retailer to better manage seasonal fluctuations for goods, improve its ordering and replenishment processes, and gain a better view of merchandise and demand.

2) Stocking Better- Group Casino, a $54 billion retailer with operations in 15 countries, integrated its merchandise flow management across a common backbone to automate warehouse and store replenishment, reduce errors and to improve visibility into inventory and product information. The company reduced food stocks by 20 percent over a two-year period.

3) Selling Better- Elephant Pharm, a savvy California-based retail pharmacy focused on creating a pleasant and memorable shopping experience, recently deployed a mobility solution that empowers associates with access to better information while interacting with customers. Associates can perform stock re-ticking and promotional pricing via PDAs while moving freely around the store floor.

"For retailers, the objective is no longer market share; it's about maximizing margins in a cutthroat environment," said Brendan Lowe, vice president, North America, Aldata. "Forward-thinking retailers view the challenging economy as an opportunity to invest in category and market expansion and online development, so that they will be better positioned for growth once the economy picks up again."

Aldata 100% Retail-Wholesale

At Aldata 100% of our business is dedicated to retail and wholesale business improvement. We provide our customers with modern, flexible and integrated software solutions specifically designed to increase productivity, performance and profitability. With over 24,000 successful installations across 52 countries, from convenience store to hypermarket, 480+ live warehouses and customers with 5 to 5,000 outlets, we consistently deliver the goods for retail and wholesale business improvement. Aldata Solution is a public company quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange with the identifier ALD1V. More information at: www.aldata-solution.com.