Staples Signs Wireless Deal With Fujitsu; Office Superstore Rolls out Fujitsu iPAD Handhelds

Business Wire, Dec 15, 2004

FRISCO, Texas -- In a move to improve associate productivity, Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq:SPLS), the largest operator of office superstores in the world, is installing new wireless technology from Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. in its nearly 1200 U.S. retail stores.

Staples will use Fujitsu's multi-functional, handheld iPAD terminals for a variety of legacy and new applications. Each store typically will be outfitted with two terminals, which will be used for stocking and inventory receiving and control, real-time access to corporate data and Web access to Staples.com.

"The iPAD will help Staples' store associates make buying office products easy by improving the operational productivity of our associates, enabling them to spend more time interacting with our customers," said Scott Floeck, Staples' chief information officer. "This iPAD agreement further reflects the 10-year partnership we've enjoyed with Fujitsu. It was developed in the same spirit of total cost of ownership and cost reduction that allows us to improve operational performance through delivery of advanced technology."

"Retailers are rapidly leveraging new portable platforms to build applications that mimic the desktop and allow associates to get 'up-to-speed' quickly with a full understanding of the applications," said Karl Schutz, vice president of client management for Fujitsu. "With this same approach, existing applications can be ported to the new terminals and give the user touch-screen advantages with little or no change to the back office environment."

The iPADs will run Microsoft Windows CE .NET and Wavelink Studio software. CE .NET is Microsoft's platform for XML Web services, which allow applications to communicate and share data over the Internet regardless of operating system or programming language. Wavelink Studio includes a Windows thin client that allows development and integration of high-speed Windows applications, as well as terminal emulation support for integration into existing legacy applications.

At 10 ounces, the featherweight iPAD combines devices used throughout the store -- scanner, magnetic card reader, even phone capability -- to give the retailer a complete, wireless retail appliance. The iPAD can be used anywhere in the store for virtually any application, including inventory management, price verifications, phone calls, line busting, mobile POS, gift registry and more.

Fujitsu's iPAD features a bright, color touch-screen that works both inside the store and in bright sunlight, ideal for parking-lot sales or outdoor inventory control. It houses a powerful Intel processor and can support any 802.11b wireless LAN infrastructure, as well as XML and Voice Over IP (VoIP). The unit is housed in a slim, ruggedized shell that withstands five-foot drops to concrete.

About Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc.

Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) and the IT "lifecycle solutions" provider for consumer transaction environments. The company creates and manages high availability store environments and collaborates with customers to reduce their costs and improve their profitability. Fujitsu's offerings include multi-vendor infrastructure management services, point-of-sale hardware and software, mobile devices and self service systems including U-Scan. The company has operated in North America for more than 30 years and has some 1,500 employees in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Example customers include Canadian Tire, ChevronTexaco, Loblaws, Nordstrom, Payless ShoeSource, Regal Cinema, Ross Dress for Less, REI, Staples, Stop & Shop and The TJX Companies, among others. The company also has a 50/50 joint venture with Retalix Ltd. (Nasdaq:RTLX) in StoreNext Retail Technologies LLC, the No. 1 supplier of retail technology to independent grocers and small chains. Web site: www.ftxs.fujitsu.com