IBS targets growing market for specialist retail chains

IBS targets growing market for specialist retail chains Joint venture with Expert and Graphium IBS has entered into a joint venture together with the Expert Group and Graphium in the fast-growing business area one-to-one marketing. The three companies have formed a new company, IDKonsult i Sverige AB, to develop and market one-to-one marketing concepts for the specialist retail market. The solutions are based on the IBS software for one-to-one marketing, e- commerce, customer loyalty management, consumer credit and financing systems, as well as the underlying financial software. The company is presently negotiating new projects with several chains within the retail market. - This is a large and growing market, which falls well in line with our strong international position within supply chain management and customer relations management, says Staffan Ahlberg, CEO of IBS. - It is important that more retail chains co-operate and lead the development of one-to-one marketing within the retail market. This area is moving fast and we intend to keep our front-line position when it comes to new one-to-one marketing developments, says Perc Brodén, CEO of the Expert Group in Sweden. Today, the Expert Group is the world's leading chain for home electronics, with a revenue of SEK 130bn and 6,500 outlets in 23 countries. IBS and the Expert Group will each hold 40% of the company shares, Graphium will hold 10% and company management 10%. The company will support, enhance and develop the marketing processes by offering complete solutions for one-to-one marketing. The company will also offer computer resources through so-called ASP services. IDKonsult's most important marketing channel is the contact network the parties already have established within the retail business. The European market potential for this type of services amounts to some SEK 2bn. For more information, please contact: Magnus Wastenson, VP Int'l Marketing, Staffan Ahlberg, CEO, IBS AB IBS AB Tel: +46 (0)8 6272515, +46-(0)70 Tel: +46 (0)8 6272420 6272515 Email: magnus.wastenson@ibs.se Email: staffan.ahlberg@ibs.se Marie Louise Nyström, Press Officer, Thomas Enzell, MD, IBS Sverige IBS Syd AB Tel: +46 (0)8 6272429, 46 (0)70 6272429 Tel. +46 (0)13 246500 Email: marie-louise.nystrom@ibs.se Email: thomas.enzell@ibs.se IBS AB, with headquarters in Stockholm, is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The IBS Group is a world-leading international supplier of web- enabled business and supply chain management software and professional services for large and mid-sized companies. IBS has some 2,400 employees and 5,000 customers in more than 40 countries. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/23/20001123BIT00730/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/23/20001123BIT00730/bit0002.pdf