Edifice Presents at Dillard's Annual Vendor Conference

Discussion Illustrates the Importance of Facilitating Demand-Driven Collaboration Between Department Stores and Suppliers

RIVERDALE, NJ - Sept. 17, 2008 - Edifice Information Management, an information services company specializing in the collection, analysis and distribution of point-of-sale (POS) data for retailers and suppliers, today announced that it presented at Dillard's annual vendor conference held this week at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida. The presentation explored ways in which department stores and their suppliers can better collaborate on consumer demand data to improve business performance. Edifice was also a conference sponsor.

Stephen Cornwell, director of marketing, Edifice Information Management, presented on how Edifice enables retailers and suppliers to engage in the collaborative POS-based retail analysis process. Highlighting a concept that Dillard's has been championing over the past several years, the discussion focused on how department stores and their suppliers can efficiently share and access POS reporting and analysis to reduce costs and improve profitability.

"Edifice is committed to working with the department store channel to promote the benefits of retailer-supplier collaboration on consumer demand data," said Dave Pesce, vice president of business intelligence, Edifice Information Management. "Dillard's has been a wonderful supporter of Edifice over the past decade, and we appreciate its invitation to present at this year's conference and to be one of its sponsors."

"Collaborating with suppliers on demand data and analysis has become a strategic imperative at Dillard's," said Anita Spence, director of vendor relations, Dillard's. "As the economic landscape has become increasingly challenging, this is an example of the types of initiatives that department stores should explore to increase margin and turn, while reducing operational overhead."

Although Edifice has been working with department stores for a number of years, it has recently increased its focus on this channel. The company is now working more closely with a number of department stores and their suppliers to streamline demand-driven reporting, expand the breadth of data shared and apply the analysis processes that have improved business results in many other channels.

Through the Edifice service, suppliers to department stores can improve tactical and strategic decisions, leading to greater business performance. For instance, using UPC- and store-level information, they can pinpoint where inventory imbalances may be occurring and take action to avoid costly mistakes. Additionally, they can analyze assortment performance at a localized level, allowing them to work with their buyers to make better assortment planning decisions.

"One of the greatest challenges in the department store channel today is how chains with hundreds of stores can deliver localized assortments to meet the needs of their diverse consumers," said Stephen Cornwell. "Major retailers in the sporting goods channel are working to overcome this challenge by using our service to engage their suppliers in the collaborative POS-based retail analysis process. Our studies show that once suppliers understand what is happening, they take a greater sense of ownership in the business, and then they work diligently with their buyers to deliver what consumers want, where they want it and when they want it. We feel confident that department stores that adopt this approach can expect the same results."

About Edifice Information Management
Edifice is an information services company specializing in the collection, analysis and distribution of point-of-sale (POS) data used by retailers and suppliers to improve supply chain efficiency. Through our POS reporting, analysis training and support services, we enable retailers and suppliers to work from a common data set to quickly identify opportunities for increasing sales, optimizing inventory and reducing costs. Our broad industry perspective - which includes apparel, footwear, sporting goods, home goods, cosmetics and home improvement - allows us to help both large and small companies realize the benefits of POS-based retail analysis.