La Senza strengthens its investment in STS Connected

Fashion retailer’s upgrade to Connected Retailer solutions part of long-term commitment to advanced retail IT supplier

Montreal, Canada, September 24, 2002 - STS, an NSB Company, announced today that long-time client La Senza has added the Connected Retailer™ Merchandising and Planning Solutions to their portfolio of STS products. Both solutions include a variety of specific, best-of-breed Windows® applications that will replace their current STS UNIX-based legacy systems while increasing options and capabilities throughout the fashion chain.

Martin Thibodeau, La Senza’s Vice-President of Information Technologies, said the upgrade facilitates the company’s ongoing growth. “Our international expansion in Europe, Asia, Middle East, and the United States, together with the need to do better in a very competitive market, highlighted the need to replace our legacy version.”

The recent acquisitions add to La Senza’s already extensive suite of Connected Retailer products, including Warehouse Management, Sales Audit, Loss Prevention, Customer Relationship Management, and Sourcing. According to Thibodeau, “By implementing Merchandising, we will operate under the umbrella of the Connected Retailer portfolio and respond more effectively to the reality of multi-channel retailing. It will bring us better quality, more in-depth data and ensure the reliability of our system, which has become a non-negotiable requirement.”

Thibodeau said their decision to continue with STS was based on the quality of the products, STS’s standard implementation methodology, and the long-standing association between the two companies. “It only made sense to extend our 25-year relationship since the company has consistently proven itself in the past.”

STS’s Connected Retailer Merchandising Solution manages ordering, pricing, inventory, margin management, and other key processes, while integrating applications and streamlining operations. The Connected Retailer Planning Solution integrates chain and store merchandise planning with assortment and visual planning to meet customer needs and ensure a profitable merchandise mix. The solutions will be implemented across all of La Senza’s retail banners within 18 months.

About La Senza

La Senza Corporation is a 35-year-old, publicly owned company with 4,800 employees and a consolidated annual sales volume of approximately $365 million. Its operations are focused on the design and distribution of fashionable women’s and girl’s apparel, as well as women’s lingerie, through its own stores across Canada and through licensees in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.

La Senza’s head office is located in Montreal, Quebec. The company also operates a distribution centre from which it replenishes about 470 retail locations operating under four different banners: La Senza (199 stores); Suzy Shier (191 stores); La Senza Girl (60 stores); and Anne.x (21 stores).

About STS, an NSB Company

STS, an NSB Company, offers the Connected Retailer, a proven portfolio of software, services, and support that addresses the key areas of a retail enterprise: store, merchandising, sales analytics, planning, CRM, allocation and replenishment, and sourcing. Our North American headquarters is located in Montreal, Canada, with satellite offices in Atlanta, Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Indianapolis, New York, San Diego, and Whippany (New Jersey). The NSB Group operates in Europe under the name NSB Retail Systems. Today, STS works closely with more than 350 retail customers across North America and Europe. For additional information regarding STS, an NSB Company and our Connected Retailer portfolio, visit our website at www.nsbgroup.com.

For more information Candice DeLuca, Public Relations, 400 Venture Drive, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035 (USA). Email: cdeluca@nsb-us.com. Phone: (614) 840-1448. Fax: (514) 426-0824.

Tracy Fairchild, Group Director, Product Marketing and Communications, 2800 Trans-Canada Highway, Pointe-Claire, Quebec H9R 1B1 (Canada). Email: tfairchild@stssystems.com. Phone: (514) 426-0822. Fax: (514) 426-0824.