Robinsons Retail group selects ARC

October 20, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
Philippine retail conglomerate Robinsons Retail group today announced that it will use ARC retail business intelligence platform on Sybase-IQ data warehouse for its multiple retail store brands. Robinsons has chosen ARC after several rounds of competitive evaluation that included several cross-industry BI software providers.

Robinsons operates several retail store brands including Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, Handyman / Do It Best Center, and Robinsons Appliances. Robinsons is also a franchisee of Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Warehouse, Toys R Us, True Value and Howard’s Storage World. The implementation is expected to start with the rollout beginning with Robinsons Supermarket.

The ARC solution deal was jointly fronted by Manthan Systems, and two of Manthan’s partners Sybase Inc and Multi-Core Technology Resources Inc. The ARC business intelligence solution will be deployed on Sybase IQ data warehouse platform.

Speaking about why Robinsons chose ARC, Thelma G. Roxas, Vice-President and Chief Information Officer said, “Among several characteristics of the ARC solution, we found its data model driven retail-centricity to be a key differentiator and of significant value to our retail businesses. In a proof of concept, we found our business users unanimously favoring ARC’s rich analytical environment, its actionable utilities and easy-to-use user interfaces to other options. From an enterprise IT standpoint, ARC’s pre-built enterprise connectivity with our key operational system - the JDA ERP platform, Data Warehouse scalability and its ability to be deployed rapidly have proved to be major advantages that align with our IT strategy goals.”

Citing Manthan’s successful penetration into Asia-Pacific, Anand Sri Ganesh, Director of Marketing at Manthan Systems said, “We are extremely delighted to have extended ARC’s success in the North American and European market to Philippines through a successful partner network. We hope to replicate this success by bringing the best of retail business intelligence to other markets in the Asia Pacific region. ARC’s best of breed retail analytics combined with its accelerated roll-out proposition is well suited for leading Asian retailers.”

Mehul Rajparia, Director of Channel Sales (Sybase - Asia Pacific) mentions, “With the Sybase IQ platform and ARC business intelligence, Robinsons will now get a high performance database platform that drives best of breed analytics while ensuring long term scalability and reliability. We are delighted with our first customer win with Manthan Systems in the retail DW-BI space and hope to extend this benefit to leading retailers in the Asia Pacific region.”

Commenting on the partnership with Manthan, Jose A. Chua, Chairman - Multi-Core Technology Resources said, “In Manthan we have found the right combination of industry specialization, deep experience in DW-BI solutions and a proven expertise in leading markets. The Robinsons win today underlines our successful partnership with Manthan. We are committed to bringing the best of business intelligence to the rapidly growing retail markets in Philippines and South-Asian regions.”


About ARC
ARC is a retail data warehouse and an integrated BI suite specifically architected for retail. Being a specialized product built exclusively for retail, ARC dramatically reduces the deployment lifecycle and the total cost of ownership by cutting down the time needed to customize a business intelligence platform to the retail industry’s specific needs. ARC’s retail data model variants enable various retail formats like fashion & apparel, food & grocery, specialty and mass merchandise. The comprehensive data model is flexible enough to accommodate changing business dynamics across all functions from store to supply chain. For more information, please visit www.arc-bi.com .


About Manthan Systems
Manthan Systems is a provider of specialized software solutions for the retail and consumer goods industries. Manthan helps retailers capture and process data that can be leveraged to improve planning, monitor results, analyze and anticipate changes, and mine opportunities. Manthan understands retail business practices and their technology underpinnings having worked with a wide range of retailers and consumer goods companies including Woolworths Germany, Haggen Supermarkets, Game Stores Group, Castorama, Ecco Sko, McDonalds, Loblaws and Haggar Clothing Co. For more information, please visit www.manthansystems.com .


About Sybase, Inc
Sybase is the largest global enterprise software company exclusively focused on managing and mobilizing information from the data center to the point of action. Sybase provides open, cross-platform solutions that securely deliver information anytime, anywhere, enabling customers and partners to create an information edge. The world’s most critical data in commerce, communications, finance, Government and healthcare runs on Sybase. For more information, visit www.sybase.com .



About Robinsons
The Robinsons Retail Group was founded by Mr. John L. Gokongwei, Jr. Chairman Emeritus of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. The Robinsons Retail Group is the second largest retailer in the Philippines with 8 retail formats and it is currently handled by Ms. Robina Gokongwei-Pe, Senior Vice President. The 8 retail formats are the main anchors of Robinsons Malls and other mall developments. Robinsons Department Store’s first store opened in 1980 in uptown Manila. In 27 years, the Robinsons Retail Group now owns and operates over 327 stores nationwide.