Allders Selects Business Objects Analytic Applications to Support Growth Plans

Business Wire, Nov 5, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2002

Leading UK Retailer Uses BusinessObjects Analytics to Optimize

Sales Process, Enhance Customer Relationships, and

Increase Competitive Advantage

Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ), the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that Allders plc, the leading UK department store group, has selected BusinessObjects(TM) Analytics, the suite of integrated enterprise analytic applications from Business Objects, to monitor information related to its supply chain, customers, and products. The new analytic capabilities will help Allders to improve customer relationships, cut costs, and increase sales. Allders purchased the suite of Business Objects Analytics from TAH, a Business Objects reseller partner, in the first quarter of 2002.

Allders has chosen BusinessObjects Source Analytics, BusinessObjects Customer Analytics, BusinessObjects Product Management Analytics, and BusinessObjects Performance Analytics to access and analyze data primarily from Retek, Allders' retail merchandizing application, and will then expand the solution to other operational systems. Allders will also deploy BusinessObjects Application Foundation, the analytic application framework that lets businesses quickly and easily deliver powerful, integrated enterprise analytic applications. Allders will use Application Foundation to build an analytic dashboard for managers. This "digital cockpit" will allow management to view key performance metrics across the business.

Using BusinessObjects Source Analytics, Allders will analyze its inbound supply chain to better manage supplier relationships and optimize procurement processes. For example, managers will be able to monitor inventory levels, supplier contract compliance and late delivery, and set alerts in order to act immediately on changing business metrics. This will support Allders goal to ensure 100% availability of items in stock in order to gain a competitive edge, enhance customer relationships, and increase sales.

With Product and Service Intelligence, category and product managers at Allders will increase profitability and market share by tracking the performance of millions of products, ranging from home furnishings to clothes and cosmetics, across its 42 stores. For example, Product Analytics will provide an insight into the impact of decisions made regarding pricing, product promotions, and sales channels. This information will enable managers to change the product mix, pricing, or marketing campaign as appropriate.

With BusinessObjects Customer Analytics, Allders will gain insight into its customer base by understanding what drives customer behavior in order to increase loyalty and value throughout the customer lifecycle. For example, by tracking key customer segments such as "store-card holders" the company can use this analysis to drive optimal customer acquisition, development, and retention.

"Business intelligence is a strategic initiative at Allders, helping to drive the growth of the company," said Thomas Nielsen, IT manager, business applications at Allders. "With BusinessObjects Analytics, we will have an integrated, dynamic view of our sales, supply chain and customers. This information will be key to supporting the aggressive expansion plans for Allders, including doubling operating margin and increasing floor space by one million square feet by 2005. Moving forward, our rapidly evolving business requirements can easily be met by the functionality, flexibility and scalability of BusinessObjects Analytics."

"TAH has worked closely with Allders to implement their business intelligence initiatives," said Mike Pell, sales director at TAH. "With BusinessObjects Analytics, Allders is maximizing the value of the information held within their Retek retail merchandising application, using it to gain a real insight into the data. Also, because BusinessObjects Analytics is an open solution, it combines and integrates easily with other operational applications from product to marketing to supply chain, to provide a complete view of performance across Allders' business."

"Allders represents the retailer of the future by using business intelligence to gain greater visibility across the business and achieve operational efficiency," said Dave Kellogg, senior group vice president of worldwide marketing at Business Objects. "BusinessObjects Analytics provides Allders with a powerful solution to help them monitor, interpret, and act on changing metrics that will affect product sales, supply chain costs, customer satisfaction and revenue performance."

About Allders plc

Allders plc is the 4th largest UK department store group with 42 stores in total, 21 of which are Allders department stores and 21 are Allders home stores specializing in furnishings, beds, homewares and home accessories. A further department store recently opened in Oxford Street in May 2002 and another one is due to open in Plymouth in 2005.