TOP U.S. BOATING SUPPLIER WEST MARINE CHOOSES PINDAR SYSTEMS
CONTACT:
Doug Curran
Manager, Corporate Communications
Pindar Systems
+(781) 862-0034
doug.curran@pindarsystems.com
System to Drive Fully Integrated Management of Multi-Channel Product
Information and Promotions
CHIGAGO, USA and YORK, UK, Feb. 6, 2002 -- Pindar Systems, the leader in
catalog commerce technology, announced today that West Marine, Inc. (NASDAQ:
WMAR), the largest U.S. specialty retailer of boating supplies and apparel,
has signed an agreement making Pindar`s Catalog Management System (CMS 3.3)
its multi-channel product information management and promotions solution.
West Marine, based in Watsonville, Calif., will use Pindar Systems` CMS to
manage and drive product information across all its sales channels: print
catalogs and flyers, its retail Web site, and promotions designed to
generate traffic to and support offers in its 241 retail stores nationwide.
"We chose Pindar Systems` CMS to manage all our product information
initiatives after more than three years of exhaustive research into every
catalog commerce solution on the market," said Michelle Farabaugh, West
Marine Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Planning. "Pindar`s
was the only system that provided full multi-channel, cross-marketing
capabilities and effective integration with our enterprise business systems.
"The workflow efficiencies and promotional decision-making support it
provides should speed our time to market, help us grow sales through our on
and offline direct channels, and reduce our catalog development costs,"
Farabaugh said.
"We are pleased to welcome West Marine to the growing community of industry
leaders that have recognized Pindar Systems` catalog commerce solution as
the foundation of a fully integrated retail sales and marketing operation,"
said Kurt Dressel, Pindar Systems Chief Marketing Officer. "Rapid return on
investment is the key to adopting a major new software system in today`s
economic environment, and West Marine clearly recognized the bottom-line
advantage of Pindar Systems."
In addition to product information integration across all its direct sales
channels and promotions to support its all-important in-store sales, West
Marine plans to take full advantage of CMS features that allow it to track
the relative success of various catalog product promotions so it can more
profitably plan future marketing and merchandising initiatives. Looking to
continue growing Web sales, West Marine also will employ Pindar Systems`
Active Link module to export product assortments and promotions directly
into its front-end e-commerce system.
Taking advantage of Pindar Systems` strong project management support, West
Marine has set an aggressive rollout timetable for CMS, planning to have the
system fully operational during the second quarter of this year.
About West Marine
West Marine, Inc. is the largest U.S. specialty retailer of boating supplies
and apparel, with 241 stores in 38 states and Puerto Rico, and more than
$500 million in annual sales. The company`s highly successful catalog and
Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products -- far more
than any competitor -- and the convenience of being able to exchange Internet
purchases at West Marine retail stores. The company`s Port Supply division
is the country`s largest wholesale distributor of marine equipment, serving
boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and
government agencies. Because the overwhelming majority of West Marine`s
revenues come from aftermarket sales, the company has traditionally been
less affected by economic downturns than manufacturers and sellers of new
boats.
About Pindar Systems
Pindar Systems powers catalog commerce, the management and delivery of
product information to drive sales. The company`s robust catalog commerce
technology enables businesses, including distributors, retailers and
manufacturers, to focus on effective marketing rather than the mechanics of
the complex production process. Pindar customers are able to aggregate
product, business and media content from many different sources into a rich
product knowledge database. Pindar`s software presents a unified view of
this information, giving merchandisers the ability to create targeted offers
that are delivered across print and Web with significantly greater
flexibility, precision and speed.
Pindar Systems is the recognized leader in catalog commerce. Clients include
W.W. Grainger, Office Depot, Spiegel, Rexel, and Eddie Bauer. Privately
held, Pindar Systems operates globally from European headquarters in York,
UK, and North American headquarters in Chicago, USA.
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