KSS Retail

KSS Retail will be at booth #3485 at the MARKETECHNICS show. KSS Retail provides the leading in-house price optimization solution for the grocery, convenience, drug and general retail markets.

“Our latest release allows our retail customers to model promotions over a user-defined time period, typically four, eight or 12 weeks,” said Lyle Walker, KSS Retail vice president of marketing. “This gives a retail merchant the ability to determine the optimum amount of time to run a promotion. Often-times promotions run too long and consumers end up viewing these promotional prices as everyday pricing. Retailers now have the ability to see the effects of multiple weeks of promotions, understand their impact on other items in the category, and determine the optimum amount of time that these promotions should run. And, because of our dynamic modeling techniques, a merchant is always working with the most current, updated models. ”

By understanding the issues and work requirements of retail merchants, KSS Retail has been able to leverage more than 14 years of price modeling experience to deliver an intuitive, fast, self-learning and merchant friendly solution that places Price Modeling and Optimization on the front-lines, where pricing and promotional decisions are made. KSS Retail customers, such as Raley’s, Brookshire Brothers, McKesson and others are able to model any category, any time with the most current information because of the dynamic, self-learning models that are unique to KSS Retail. And, by integrating regular and promotional pricing, KSS Retail customers are able to fully understand the effects of promotions on a category, allowing them to develop pricing that optimizes financial objectives.

About KSS

KSS Retail is the leading provider of in-house price optimization solutions for the grocery, convenience, chain drug and general retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing by using an intuitive, fast, merchant friendly tool that integrates price modeling and optimization into the daily work-flow of a merchant. For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact: Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com KSS Retail, U.S. Headquarters 25-B Hanover Rd, Ste 201 Florham Park, NJ 07932 972-733-0465 www.KSSRetail.com

“We made our decision for KSS Retail after a thorough review of the optimization solutions in the market,” said Harrison Lewis, VP and CIO of Haggen. “Our selection criteria focused on in-depth retail experience and demonstrable results with other retailers. They (KSS Retail) have a very experienced team who know retail and understand the importance of using the science of optimization to better align pricing with overall corporate strategy. We look forward to leveraging KSS Retail and its optimization capabilities to improve price image, margin, and sales.”

“Haggen is known for delivering an exceptional shopping experience for its customers,” said Lance Jacobs, CEO of KSS Retail. “By leveraging the predictive insight of the KSS Retail solution, Haggen’s merchant team will be able to further refine, model and implement pricing and promotions that achieve its goals for delivering an exceptional customer experience.”

KSS Retail provides the leading in-house price optimization solution that allows price modeling to be used on the front-lines of merchandising, where pricing and promotional decisions are made.

About Haggen

Haggen, Inc. operates 33 supermarkets in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen Food and Pharmacy, TOP Food and Drug and Larry’s Market names. Headquartered in Bellingham, it is the largest independent grocer and seventh-largest private company based in the State of Washington. For more information, visit www.Haggen.com.

About KSS Retail

KSS Retail, formerly known as Knowledge Support Systems or KSS, is the leading provider of in-house price optimization solutions for the grocery, convenience, chain drug and general retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS grocery pricing software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing by using an intuitive, fast, merchant friendly tool that integrates price modeling and optimization into the daily work-flow of a merchant. For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact: Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

Raley’s, a privately held, family owned supermarket chain, operates more than 130 stores across Northern California and Nevada. Raley’s will leverage the On-Demand performance of KSS Retail to offer its pricing and merchandising team with a predictive modeling solution that provides future insight, today, into pricing and promotional decisions.

“After a comprehensive evaluation of the optimization solutions available in the market, we chose KSS Retail because of their knowledge of the grocery industry, intuitive nature of the software, and the remarkable success that their customers have had using the KSS Retail optimization tool,” said Joel Barton, Senior Vice President, sales and merchandising of Raley’s. “We are focused on providing our customers with the best value possible and we see KSS Retail as instrumental in helping us achieve this goal. After spending time with several KSS Retail customers, it became evident they were the best choice for us to address this business area.”

“Raley’s is a superb operator that is focused on delivering real value for their customers,” said Lance Jacobs, CEO of KSS Retail. “The predictive insight they gain into their pricing and promotional decisions will provide them the ability to align their merchandising tactics with consumer demand. This capability allows Raley’s to ensure that their customers are provided the value they have come to expect.”

KSS Retail provides an advanced pricing solution that leverages historical point of sale data to accurately model and forecast consumer reaction to pricing, allowing retailers the ability to optimize value for their consumers. KSS has been providing scientific-based intelligent pricing solutions since 1993 and currently has retail customers in more than 12 countries using its predictive modeling and optimization solutions.

About Raley’s

Raley’s Family of Fine Stores is a privately-owned supermarket chain with headquarters in West Sacramento, CA. The $3.5 billion company operates 130 stores in Northern California and Nevada. In addition to its flagship Raley’s Superstores, the company operates Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source. Readers of Consumer Reports Magazine named Raley’s the Number 1 supermarket chain in the nation three consecutive times, in 1997, 2000 and 2003. Founded during the Depression by Thomas Porter Raley, the company is now owned by his daughter, Joyce Raley Teel.

“KSS Retail is uniquely positioned in the market with a merchant-friendly solution that puts price modeling and optimization in the hands of the people who make pricing and promotional decisions,” said Dr. Helman, Chief Science Officer of KSS Retail. “I’ve seen many retailers with ‘analysis paralysis’ and I am excited to join a company that has figured out how to provide a merchant with the right information at the right time.”

“Dr. Helman has an extraordinary background in both optimization science and computer science”, said Lance Jacobs, CEO of KSS Retail. “Our ability to empower the merchant with predictive insight on pricing and promotions will be further enhanced with the addition of Dr. Helman to our Science Team.”

Dr. Helman’s research into solutions for the retail food industry includes the development of mathematical algorithms for:

• Promotion optimization: Optimizing the mix of items in an offer list and optimizing the set of consumers to receive an offer list mailing.
• Clustering: Clustering consumers by buying habits (e.g., cherry pickers, high-valued consumers), baskets by types (e.g., tonight’s dinner, monthly stock-up), and stores by similarity.
• Basket behavior: Discovering statistical patterns of item affinities and of items that drive high-value baskets; identifying the sequences of purchases as consumers walk the aisles in a store.
• Consumer reactions to out-of-stocks: Analyzing what a consumer does when confronted with a stock out, i.e. substitute, delay, or no-purchase.

Dr Helman’s academic work has also included extensive research into the theory of optimization and bio-computing, and he has worked extensively over the past 5 years on the development of real-time out of stock alerts for retailers.

About KSS

KSS Retail, formerly known as Knowledge Support Systems or KSS, is the leading provider of in-house price optimization solutions for the grocery, convenience, chain drug and general retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS grocery pricing software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing by using an intuitive, fast, merchant friendly tool that integrates price modeling and optimization into the daily work-flow of a merchant. For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact: Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

This award, presented annually, is given by Brookshire Brothers to its top vendor for outstanding contributions and positive impact on Brookshire Brothers business. Past winners have included Coca Cola, Miller Brewing, Frito Lay and Gatorade, and this is the first time the award has been presented to a technology company. Brookshire Brothers uses the KSS Retail price optimization solution for regular and promotional pricing, and has been able to capture significant financial results. Brookshire Brothers is headquartered in Lufkin, Texas, and operates more than 70 stores throughout east Texas.

“The KSS Retail team has been great to work with and using its price optimization solution, we have realized more than double the return we were expecting,” said Kevin Flanagan, vice president of marketing at Brookshire Brothers. “Our goal is to provide value for our customers, and KSS Retail has become an invaluable merchant tool for achieving this.”

“We are truly honored by this recognition from Brookshire Brothers and extremely privileged to have the opportunity to work with such a strong organization,” said Lance Jacobs, ceo of KSS Retail. “Their ability to compete successfully in such a competitive market speaks volumes to their consumer focus, merchandising savvy and executive leadership. We look forward to our continued partnership with Brookshire Brothers as it strives for ever-higher levels of merchandising excellence.”

About Brookshire Brothers

Located in Lufkin, Texas, Brookshire Brothers was founded in 1921 and currently operates over 70 locations throughout East Texas. Known for its superior customer service and quality products, the company’s mission is to build sound equity in the company by creating loyal employees which results in satisfied customers. Brookshire Brothers maintains its own distribution center and is also one of the leading retail distributors of Conoco branded gasoline.

About KSS

KSS Retail, formerly known as Knowledge Support Systems or KSS, is the leading provider of in-house price optimization solutions for the grocery, convenience, chain drug and general retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS grocery pricing software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing by using an intuitive, fast, merchant friendly tool that integrates price modeling and optimization into the daily work-flow of a merchant. For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact: Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

The companies will combine a range of strategic consulting offerings and advanced technology solutions to help grocers execute effective price management programs that include:

• Price Strategy Development conducted by Willard Bishop, a solution that is tailored to a retailer’s unique competitive environment and designed to enhance price image, while driving sales and sustainable profits.
• Price Strategy Execution and Analysis via Retalix HQ/Store software, Retalix’s central and store-level rules-based item pricing and inventory management solution, which controls, automates and analyzes store pricing strategies.
• Price Optimization using KSS Retail’s PriceStrat product that leverages proven scientific algorithms to generate optimized regular and promotional prices. The system uses product elasticity, cannibalism and affinity cross-effects combined with mathematical relationships and business rules.

“We forged this partnership to better respond to the industry’s requirement to establish and manage prices on an end-to-end basis. Grocers operate in extremely competitive environments where every penny counts, and this holistic approach to the price lifecycle process will enable retailers of all sizes to realize incremental gross profit dollars without sacrificing sales,” said Ray Carlin, executive vice president for Retalix USA. “Grocers now have a comprehensive price management solution that helps them develop a sound strategy and execute on that strategy through automation, optimization and integration.”

As a second phase, StoreNext Retail Technologies, a Retalix subsidiary, will offer this integrated approach via its hosted Connected Services program..

“Pricing strategy continues to have a huge impact on grocers, and retailers now have to rethink their strategy around supplier price increases, stiff competition and other industry pressures,” said Jon Hauptman, partner at Barrington, Ill.-based Willard Bishop, LLC. “This alliance will give grocers a unique chance to incorporate the development of pricing strategies into their technology purchases, so that they can fully realize the benefits of technology and be even more competitive in the marketplace.”

“The combined competencies of Retalix, Willard Bishop and KSS Retail provide our customers with a truly holistic approach to pricing, ranging from strategy to optimization to execution,” said Lance Jacobs, chief executive officer of KSS Retail. “We are excited to partner with these market leaders and provide solutions to retailers that strengthen their competitive position, drive significant additional profitability and ensure execution to strategy.”

About Willard Bishop

Willard Bishop is a consulting firm working with retail and foodservice companies to solve business problems and identify opportunities to drive profitable growth. For more than 30 years, the company has helped clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America implement go-to-market strategies that improve both top-line sales and bottom-line profits. They do this by going beyond research to develop strategic implications and actionable recommendations for their clients. Web site: www.willardbishop.com.

About Retalix

Retalix is an independent provider of software solutions to retailers and distributors worldwide. With over 40,000 sites installed across more than 50 countries, Retalix solutions serve the needs of grocery chains, convenience and fuel retailers, food and consumer goods distributors and independent grocers. The Company offers a portfolio of software applications that automate and synchronize essential retail and supply chain operations, encompassing stores, headquarters and warehouses. Retalix develops and supports its software through 1,500 employees in its various subsidiaries and offices worldwide. The company’s International headquarters are located in Ra’anana, Israel, and its American headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. For more information about Retalix, please visit www.retalix.com.

Retalix is a registered trademark of Retalix Ltd. in the United States and in other countries. The names of actual companies, products and services mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: Except for statements of historical fact, the information presented herein constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and U.S. federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Retalix, including revenues, income and expenses, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements or other guidance or outlooks expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include risks relating to Retalix’s anticipated future financial performance and growth, continued roll-outs with existing customers, continued interest in Retalix’s new platforms, the perception by leading retailers of Retalix’s reputation, the potential benefits to food and fuel retailers and distributors, expansion into new geographic markets, and other factors over which Retalix may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. Readers are referred to the reports and documents filed by Retalix with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Retalix’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2006, for a discussion of these and other important risk factors. Retalix undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

ABC Fine Wine and Spirits is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and owns 150 stores located throughout Florida. ABC will use the KSS Retail software to model, evaluate and optimize regular and promotional pricing.

“Our mission at ABC is to deliver the best service, best selection, and best price,” said Bob Gibson, ABC Director of Marketing. “KSS Retail optimization will provide the tools we need to understand, analyze, and implement pricing strategies to help us better fulfill this mission.”

“KSS Retail is focused on providing our clients with the ability to accurately and quickly forecast, model and optimize pricing and promotional decisions,” said Lance Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer at KSS Retail. “ABC Fine Wine and Spirits has established its leadership position by focusing on customers and exceeding their expectations. The KSS Retail optimization solution will support their mission to provide consistent customer value while simultaneously enhancing financial performance.“ KSS Retail provides merchants the ability to model and optimize regular and promotional pricing as part of an integrated, in-house solution.

About ABC Fine Wine and Spirits

ABC Fine Wine and Spirits is the country’s largest privately owned fine wine and spirits merchant with 150 stores (covering the peninsula of Florida from Tallahassee to Miami) and 1500 employees. The company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, with executive offices adjacent to a 150,000 square-foot distribution center, including climate controlled space for wine and cigars. ABC retail stores average 10,000 square feet and often include walk-in cigar humidors, temperature-controlled wine cellars, and massive cold space for imported and micro brewed beers.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com

KSS PriceStrat is an advanced pricing solution that leverages historical point of sale data to accurately model and forecast consumer reaction to pricing, allowing retailers the ability to optimize value for their consumers. KSS has been providing intelligent pricing solutions since 1993 and currently has retail customers in more than 12 countries using its predictive modeling and optimization solutions.

“We strive to deliver the best value for our customers and after an extensive evaluation of customer-demand pricing tools to support this fundamental strategy, selected KSS,” said Joe Hanson, Vice President of Operations at Yoke’s. “By using KSS PriceStrat, we will have advanced insight into our pricing and promotional decisions and will be able to ensure that we are priced right, on the right items, for our customers. It is important for us to have a fast, interactive tool that allows us to model, forecast and optimize our regular and weekly promotional pricing, and KSS met all of our goals.”

Lance Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of KSS’ Retail Division, said Yoke’s Supermarkets exemplifies the typical grocery retailer, which must be able to quickly propose, model, evaluate, and fine tune their pricing strategies and tactics. “Yoke’s Fresh Market will be able to leverage this advanced consumer insight from KSS PriceStrat to maximize the value they deliver to their consumers. Our retail customers are seeing both improved price image while gaining tremendous financial returns from KSS PriceStrat. We are confident that Yoke’s will experience the same.”

About Yoke’s Fresh Markets

Yoke’s Fresh Markets was founded in 1946 by Marshall and Harriet Yoke. As an employee-owned company based in Spokane, Wash., Yoke’s focuses on delivering consumers the freshest quality products found anywhere this side of the farm. Yoke’s Fresh Markets feature tender, juicy Yoke’s Pride Certified Hereford Beef, scratch-made breads and baked goods, a remarkable wine selection, and aisles of favorite brand items.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

Ball’s Food Stores was founded in 1923 by Sidney and Mollie Ball and currently operates stores under the Price Chopper and Hen House banners. KSS PriceStrat is providing them with the ability to accurately model and evaluate the effects of regular and promotional prices, On-Demand.

“KSS has been able to quickly deploy price optimization inside of our operations and we are intent on using the KSS PriceStrat optimization solution to ensure that we are offering value to our consumers,” said Mike Beal, Chief Financial Officer of Ball’s Food Stores.

“Ball’s Food Stores has progressed quickly in deploying optimization and has now begun the process of reviewing their key categories to ensure that they are able to reach their financial objectives. KSS PriceStrat is providing them insight into how customers perceive their pricing and promotions, providing them the ability to improve their competitive positioning in the market,” said Lance Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of KSS’ retail division.

KSS PriceStrat provides regular and promotional price modeling and optimization, On-Demand as part of an integrated solution. Leveraging more than 13 years of data modeling experience, KSS provides optimization solutions to retailers around the world for store and fuel center pricing. KSS will be demonstrating the benefits of Price Optimization at the upcoming FMI (Food Marketing Institute) show in Chicago, May 6-8, in booth # 652.

About Ball’s

Ball’s Food Stores—a member of Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc,—operates 30 supermarkets in the Kansas City area under the Hen House Markets and Ball’s Price Chopper banners. Hen House Markets are upscale, service-oriented establishments, while Price Chopper is the company’s price-impact supermarket format. Ball’s Food Stores is a leader in the Kansas City market and is currently taking steps to increase efficiencies and compete more effectively in their marketplace. Founded in 1923 by Sidney and Mollie Ball, the grocery company is run by their son, Chairman Fred Ball, and grandson, President David Ball.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com

Price and promotion optimization remain critical agenda items for retailers, and in fact, are bordering on “must have” solutions. They provide very rapid return on investment, and are fundamentally non-intrusive to the existing technology infrastructure. With the purchase of Khimetrics by SAP and ProfitLogic by Oracle, very few “pure play” price optimization companies remain. Certainly SAS has built out its price, promotion and markdown optimization programs as part of its overarching suite. We’ll cover SAS’s rich solution set in a future Top of the Net story. Demandtec remains a formidable competitor as well. Also independent, still closing deals, with attractive partnerships, Demandtec is an interesting choice for retailers looking for a pricing point solution. But KSS has not gotten nearly as much airplay while they have quietly built out their application and closed deals in the US and around the world.

Two recent customer wins:

• Selected by Gigante, one of Mexico’s largest Supermarket chains for price and promotion modeling, optimization, and forecasting.
• Selected by Kansas City grocer Cosentino’s for price and promotion optimization

KSS has strategic partnerships with both Microsoft and SAP and is a certified NetWeaver application. Its application’s other differentiating factor is its ability to be deployed easily behind a company’s firewall, rather than run as a hosted service.

KSS has come a long way in the past five years. Its integration with the Netweaver platform gives it a leg-up into SAP shops. The company is a good example that shows innovation is alive and well in retail technology, even as mergers and acquisitions seem to take center stage. If you’re feeling a need to put some science behind your pricing strategy, the application is certainly worth a look.

Copyright © 2006 Retail Systems B2B LLC. Retail Systems Alert Group is a tradename of Retail Systems B2B LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

Cosentino’s will use KSS PriceStrat as an in-house solution to model, refine and understand the impact of pricing and promotional decisions, before they are implemented. KSS PriceStrat leverages more than a decade of price modeling expertise and experience using an intuitive, desktop interface that provides merchants with the ability to create and model multiple, complex pricing scenarios, in only seconds.

“The benefits of price optimization are becoming well known within the grocery industry”, said Dennis Reilly, Chief Financial Officer of Cosentino’s. “By having KSS PriceStrat as an integral part of our pricing plan, we will have insight into the effects of tomorrow’s prices and promotions, today. This insight will allow us to continue to provide our customers with the value they have come to expect from our stores.”

“Today’s grocer, more than ever, is facing extremely competitive and changing market conditions,” said Lance Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of KSS’ retail division. “Our PriceStrat solution provides merchandisers and category managers with a fast, intuitive application that truly empowers their pricing and promotional decisions. Cosentino’s strives to deliver exceptional customer value and we are excited to be working with them to achieve this goal.”

About Cosentino’s

Since 1948, Cosentino’s Food Stores has been family owned and operated. In 1948, Cosentino’s started as a single store operation and has grown to be one of the largest ownership groups in the Kansas City area, with stores operating under the banners of Price Chopper, Apple Market and Sun Fresh.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

Gigante will use KSS PriceStrat for both regular and promotional price modeling, optimization and forecasting. KSS PriceStrat provides merchants with a desktop application that accurately models the impact of pricing and promotional decisions and their effect on category and cross category sales and profits.

“Price optimization and forecasting are something that will add tremendous value to our operations,” said Alejandro Ahuad, commercial director of Gigante. “After investigating several optimization vendors, we decided KSS PriceStrat will best provide our merchandising team with the ability to accurately forecast and evaluate the effects of our pricing and promotional decisions, before we implement them. This unique insight will allow us to work more closely with our suppliers to make sure we are delivering strong value to our consumers while achieving our company’s financial goals.”

“Gigante is a true innovator in the grocery market and we are excited to bring the value of Price Modeling and Optimization to this organization,” said Lance Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of the KSS retail division. “It is very empowering for a merchant when they can have a view of tomorrow, today. KSS PriceStrat will provide their merchandising team with the ability to propose, forecast, evaluate and refine their pricing and promotional plans using a fast, intuitive application. Gigante strives to deliver exceptional value to their consumers and we look forward to working with them to support this.”

KSS will be demonstrating their pricing solutions at the upcoming NRF show in New York City, January 14-16th, in booth #3013. KSS PriceStrat provides integrated regular and promotional price modelling, optimization and forecasting for store pricing, On-Demand. KSS PriceNet provides fuel price management and optimization and is currently used by some of the world’s largest fuel retailers.

About Gigante

With over 600 units in Mexico, “Grupo Gigante, S.A. de C.V.”, is a public Mexican trade company which operates in the Mexican Stock Market (“Bolsa Mexicana de Valores”) under the ticker symbol: “Gigante*”, and through its subsidiaries, has developed leading chains of supermarkets, family restaurants, and specialized commerce, for 43 years. Its subsidiaries include “Gigante”, which contains formats including: “Gigante” (Hypermarkets), “Super Gigante” (Supermarkets), “Super Maz” and “Bodega” (Warehouses), all of them supermarket chains, as well as “Cafeterías Toks, S.A. de C.V.”, a specialized family restaurant chain. With its partners, Grupo Gigante has also established joint-ventures, developing “Office Depot de México, S.A. de C.V.”, a Mexican leader chain store of office and school supplies, and “Radio Shack de México, S.A. de C.V.”, an exclusive format with presence throughout the Mexican Republic, that offers a wide assortment of electronic equipment and accessories.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

The awards, which attracted entries from all over the EMEA region including Belgium, France, Israel, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey and the UK, are designed to reward independent software vendors (ISVs) and retailer IT departments that can successfully demonstrate innovation and excellence by delivering business value using Microsoft® technologies in the retail sector. This year’s panel of judges was made up of some of the leading figures from the European retail industry: Païvi Hokkanen (Stockmann, Finland), Hansjoerg Bausch (Kaufhof, Germany), Neil Ashworth (Tesco.com, UK), Martin White (Primark, Ireland) and Michael Gerling (EHI Retail Institute, Germany).

“We are excited to receive this prestigious honour from Microsoft in recognition of our PriceStrat solution,” said Mark Hawtin, KSS VP of Business Development. “PriceStrat, built on the .Net platform, provides retailers around the world with the ability to accurately model and forecast the effects of pricing and promotions decisions, before they are implemented. The business insight that this solution brings to our customers allows them to consistently develop and execute the optimum mix of prices and promotions that satisfy their customers needs and generate desired performance across the store.”

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

Ball’s Food Stores was founded in 1923 by Sidney and Mollie Ball and currently operates stores under the Ball’s, Price Chopper and Hen House banners. Ball’s will use KSS PriceStrat to optimize regular and promotional pricing to ensure that it provides strong value to its customers. KSS PriceStrat provides the ability to accurately model and evaluate the effects of regular and promotional pricing, real-time, On-Demand, thanks to PriceStrat’s self-learning models and on-site installation.

“KSS provides us with the ability to model and understand the impact of our pricing and promotional decisions, before we implement them,” said Mike Beal, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Ball’s Food Stores. “Because KSS PriceStrat is a fast, intuitive solution, our merchandisers and pricing analysts will be able to use it in their daily work flow to empower their pricing and promotional decisions.”

“Ball’s Food Stores is a great operator and knows how to leverage technology to provide a superior customer shopping experience,” said Lance Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of KSS’ retail division. “KSS’ PriceStrat is designed to be used on the front lines by merchants and pricing analysts, and will enable Ball’s to incorporate price modeling and optimization into their daily lives. We are privileged to be working with Ball’s Food Stores and look forward to collaborating with them in producing tremendous benefits for their organization.”

KSS PriceStrat provides regular and promotional price modeling and optimization, On-Demand, as part of an integrated solution. Leveraging more than 13 years of data modeling experience, KSS provides optimization solutions to retailers around the world for store and fuel center pricing.

About Ball’s

Ball’s Food Stores—a member of Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc, - operates 30 supermarkets in the Kansas City area under the Hen House Markets and Ball’s Price Chopper banners. Hen House Markets are upscale, service-oriented establishments, while Price Chopper is the company’s price-impact supermarket format. Ball’s Food Stores is a leader in the Kansas City market and is currently taking steps to increase efficiencies and compete more effectively in their marketplace. Founded in 1923 by Sidney and Mollie Ball, the grocery company is run by their son, Chairman Fred Ball, and grandson, President David Ball.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.

“To fully take advantage of price optimization, you must have the ability to model multiple scenarios and get answers quickly,” said Phinney of KSS. “Because the KSS PriceStrat solution sits inside your company as a retailer, you are able to integrate it you’re your daily workflow. This allows you to leverage the science with your merchandising experience to make improved pricing and promotional decisions. At the Retail Pricing Summit, we will discuss how KSS customers are able to model entire categories very quickly and improve both margins and competitive positioning.”

KSS PriceStrat provides price modeling and optimization for fast moving consumer goods within the grocery, convenience, drug, mass and general retail sectors. As an in-house solution, KSS PriceStrat provides Price Optimization, On-Demand. Leveraging the KSS demand models, PriceStrat is able to manage, model, forecast and execute both regular and promotional pricing.

About KSS

KSS Retail is a leading supplier of comprehensive pricing intelligence, optimization and execution solutions to the grocery, convenience retail, chain drug and mass retail industries. Retail merchants use KSS Retail software to model and optimize in-store prices for regular and promotional pricing. KSS Retail is available as an on-site, fully integrated system.

For more information, visit www.KSSRetail.com, or contact Lyle Walker at (972) 733-0465, or at Lyle.Walker@KSSRetail.com.

For media inquiries, contact Roy G. Miller at (903) 422-5117, or at rmiller@rgmcomms.com.