Global Retailers Tap Ascential Software

Eroski, The Tengelmann Group among those selecting provider's enterprise data integration platform

Eroski, The Tengelmann Group among those selecting provider's enterprise data integration platform

Westboro, MA — July 8, 2004 — Ascential Software Corp., a provider of enterprise data integration solutions, said it is helping more than 150 global retailers improve their operational performance, including Eroski and The Tengelmann Group subsidiaries Plus, Kaiser's Tengelmann and Kaiser's Drugstore.

Ascential Software said it is playing a role in helping each company integrate enterprise data to improve business operations, streamline the supply chain, enhance in-store productivity and gain a more accurate view of customer information.

Thracy Varvoglis, executive director of industry solutions at Ascential Software, commented that the retail sector operates on razor-thin margins in a fiercely competitive environment, and the most successful retailers understand the importance of accurate data in developing successful promotional and marketing programs, understanding customers and ensuring an efficient supply chain. "Retailers are investing in strategic applications to improve their overall efficiencies and competitiveness in an environment that continues to be challenging," Varvoglis said.

Eroski and The Tengelmann Group required a scalable data integration platform to help them better understand customer data generated from multiple sources in the enterprise, and then leverage the information in new and consolidated applications.

Eroski is one of Spain's largest retail chains with more than 1,500 stores mainly in the hypermarket and supermarket sectors. Faced with increasing complexity of applications and growing demand for interfaces, Eroski was looking to streamline the way they integrated its IT portfolio. The chain selected Ascential DataStage TX as a result.

"We selected Ascential DataStage TX because of its ability to handle complex data types and transformations," commented Jesus Miqaur, IT director at Eroski. "Over the next two years, we intend to expand our use of Ascential Software's technology to provide a complete integration environment for our business."

The Tengelmann Group is one of the world's leading retail chains, with annual revenues in excess of $20 billion and an international presence. "Ascential is helping The Tengelmann Group become a 'right time' retail enterprise, accelerating the movement of point-of-sale data for 4,500 supermarkets, discount stores and drug stores, and integrating real-time data from 1,000 suppliers," commented Frank Jelinek, technical communications manager for Kaiser's Tengelmann.

Jelinek said his company selected Ascential Software because it can create reusable integration components that enable the company to harmonize diverse business and technical landscape quickly.

"Ascential Software's technology has demonstrated itself expert at handling point-of-sale and [electronic data interchange (EDI)] data in multiple formats from multiple sources enabling us to cut time from critical replenishment and supply chain processes," he said.

In addition to improving supply chain visibility and managing point-of-sale data, other top initiatives that retailers are undertaking include customer relationship management and master data management, in part to prepare for data synchronization activities like UCCnet and RFID.

Other retail customers that have selected Ascential Software include Amazon.com, CompUSA, Home Depot, Pier 1 Imports and Starbucks Coffee.

Ascential said its Enterprise Integration Suite is a data integration solution that profiles, cleanses and transforms data from virtually any application or system regardless of data volume or latency.

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