ProClarity and Acorn Systems Team to Deliver Retail Business Intelligence Solutions through the Microsoft Smarter Retailing Initiative

Business Wire, Jan 16, 2006

NEW YORK -- Profitability Analysis Solution Built on the Microsoft BI Platform Enables Strategic Initiatives for Substantial Returns

ProClarity Corporation, a leading innovator of business intelligence (BI) technology, and Acorn Systems, Inc., a best of breed provider of profit improvement via enterprise performance measurement, today announced a joint retail solution based on the Microsoft BI platform from the National Retail Federation's (NRF) Annual Convention and Expo. The Retail Profitability Analysis solution, based on Acorn's Net Profitability Solutions, utilizes ProClarity(R) Analytics 6 as a simple, powerful and adaptable interface to the Microsoft BI platform, providing retail organizations with valuable insight into operational performance through enhanced analytic capabilities.

"We are excited to see Microsoft partners come together to provide an end-to-end BI solution that will meet the unique business requirements of retail organizations," said David Gruehn, director and industry manager for Microsoft's Retail & Hospitality Industry Unit. "ProClarity offers a variety of excellent analytic tools for the Microsoft BI platform that allow users to glean valuable insight into corporate data. Coupled with Acorn's industry expertise, the Retail Profitability Management solution offers an excellent business intelligence solution for retailers."

Retail Profitability Analysis is a foundational capability which enables numerous strategic initiatives to generate substantial and quick returns. The solution is designed to enhance category management, SKU rationalization and market basket analysis, while improving vendor negations and performance. Acorn Systems and ProClarity will provide an educational session at the NRF Annual Convention and Expo in New York, New York, on Tuesday, January 15th from 11:30 - noon in the Microsoft booth (#500). Demonstrating Microsoft Smarter Retailing in action, this session will explore the practicality and expected benefits of delivering detailed business intelligence to improve the net profits of retailers across all industry segments.

"The retail industry is becoming increasingly more complex with compounding competitive pressures, complicated distribution channels and more demanding consumers. As such, the demand to deliver value and strong financial results is becoming significantly more difficult," said Jerome Patterson, vice president of business development for Acorn. "We've partnered with ProClarity to provide a comprehensive business intelligence solution for retailers that will allow them to more effectively monitor operational performance, better understand consumer behavior, and ultimately improve profitability."

"Effectively managing mountains of data across the value chain is extremely challenging and critical in the retail industry," said Dan Pierce, ProClarity Retail and CPG Practice Manager. "Retailers who empower decision makers with understanding of the data can be rewarded with competitive advantage, enhanced performance and an improved bottom line. ProClarity has partnered with Acorn Systems to provide our retail and CPG customers with analytic solutions to precisely identify where value is missed and how it can be created."

ProClarity Corporation was recently recognized as one of the top 45 software vendors as voted on by retailers in RIS News Magazine's LeaderBoard 2005.

About Microsoft Smarter Retailing

Microsoft Smarter Retailing helps retailers win today by leveraging current investments, and win tomorrow by easing delivery of new retail experiences. Consisting of Smarter Shopping, Smarter Selling and Smarter Operations, Microsoft Smarter Retailing is designed to close the loop between the retailer's strategy, the in-store execution and familiar technologies already in the consumer's hands. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/smartretail.

About ProClarity Corporation

ProClarity gives organizations a simple, powerful and adaptable interface to insight, expanding on the power of the Microsoft business intelligence platform. ProClarity analytics empowers business professionals with the ability to monitor business performance, visualize and explore multi-dimensional data, and perform root-cause analysis while giving business analysts the ability to share definitions and analysis best practices to provide a platform for consistently better decisions. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, ProClarity has regional sales and services offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Founded in 1995, ProClarity supports more than 2,000 customers globally, including AT&T, Barnes & Noble, CompUSA, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, The Home Depot, Pennzoil-Quaker State, Reckitt Benckiser, Roche, Siemens, USDA, Verizon and Wells Fargo. To learn more, visit www.proclarity.com or call 208-344-1630.

About Acorn Systems

Acorn Systems provides continuous enterprise-wide visibility into business performance enabling profit improvement at a low total cost of ownership. Acorn Systems delivers a solution that is verifiably accurate, auditable and actionable. Acorn Systems' solution is flexible and dynamic and provides a sustainable, scalable platform for Corporate Performance Management. Acorn Systems' clients come from many industries in North America and Europe, including Financial Services, Retail, Consumer Product Goods, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Distribution in the Metals, Foods, Electronics, Paper, Industrial, Office Products, Building Supplies, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Chemicals industries.