Retail Forward, Inc. Delivers Global Retail and Consumer Products Market Intelligence with New, Independent Approach

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Sept. 26, 2001--Retail Forward, Inc. has reached an agreement with PricewaterhouseCoopers to acquire the syndicated retail intelligence business known as the Retail Intelligence System(R). Retail Forward, a newly-formed management consulting, market research, and executive development firm, is owned and operated by the employee team responsible for the development and delivery of the Retail Intelligence System(R). The new company is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

"We are very excited about the future of our independent employee-owned organization," said Tom Rubel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Retail Forward. "Retail Forward`s mission remains to advance the frontiers of knowledge and understanding of the emerging issues affecting retailing and consumer products marketing," he added.

"We seek to be perceived as industry thought leaders who anticipate market change and assess the impact of these changes on our clients` operations and performance," Rubel commented. "Our industry knowledge, technical and functional skills, fact-based philosophy, and association with best-in-class implementation resources, will bring value to their businesses," he concluded. With a heritage in retail consulting dating to the founding of Management Horizons, Inc. in 1967, and later as the Management Horizons division of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the principals of Retail Forward have built a successful track record working with retail and consumer products executives to identify opportunities for business growth and performance improvement.

One of the company`s key differentiators, and a major contributor to its thought leadership, is its syndicated Retail Intelligence System(R). This program is funded by over 250 leading retailers and consumer products companies around the globe. The subscriber dollars supporting the program are continuously invested in new research, interpretation, and forecasting of the trends to expand the company`s industry knowledge and consulting capabilities. The Retail Intelligence System(R) monitors, assesses, and forecasts trends in retailing and related consumer behavior, and distributes value-added news, analysis and perspective in the form of newsletters, in-depth reports, and conferences.

Recognized as an authority on retailing, Retail Forward offers a variety of research and consulting services for retailers, consumer products companies and other organizations with an interest in these industries. Retail Forward`s research capabilities include consumer research, economic forecasting, industry analysis, competitive analysis, and benchmarking/ best practices research. Consulting skills include corporate strategic planning, market positioning strategy, new concept development, e-business and multi-channel strategy development, brand strategy, globalization strategy, customer analytics, acquisition due diligence, and future forces analysis. Going forward, the company expects to develop and deploy new products and services leveraging the Internet, and to create new products for existing customers and their peers.

Retail Forward, Inc. (www.retailforward.com) is a globally focused management consulting, market research, and executive development firm specializing in retail intelligence and strategies. The company is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

For more information about Retail Forward and its services, contact Katherine R. Clarke, Director of Marketing, at 1 614 414 7122 or kclarke@retailforward.com.