October 2008

Itim to supply Borders IT

Borders UK Ltd, one of Britain's best-known booksellers, has signed an initial Heads of Agreement to roll out and subscribe to The Retail Suite from the retail software specialists Itim. Full contracts are planned to be signed by the end of April with implementation of the solution across its entire UK estate before the end of the year, as a key part of separation from its previous US parent Borders Group International. The project kick-off coincides with the first fully integrated release of this sophisticated suite of retail solutions from software developer Itim.

The Retail Suite is an integrated solution to run an entire business, and will provide Borders with Store Systems, Merchandise Planning, Merchandising, Finance and Management Information. This rich suite of retail functions is delivered through a browser interface and can be implemented via a hosted, subscription-based model, allowing retailers to grow their business with IT costs linked to their growth.

Borders UK CIO Simon Thomas is confident that The Retail Suite is the right fit for Borders and that it will quickly begin to add value to its operations. "After an extensive review of potential solutions and services, we're looking forward to working with Itim on an exclusive basis," Thomas said. "They demonstrate a strong understanding of our needs and have already proven their ability to deliver a fantastic solution."

Simon Curtis, Managing Director of Itim agrees that the solution is a perfect fit for Borders. "Given our experience in the book industry and the fact that The Retail Suite's broad functionality supports both book and non-book needs, the Itim - Borders partnership seems natural," Curtis said. "We're all excited to be working with Simon and his team to deliver this value-adding solution."

Retail Bookselling Chain of the Year 2005 & 2006, Bookselling Company of the Year 2006 & 2007, Children's Retailer of the Year 2007, and Magazine Destination Retailer of the Year 2007, Borders UK has over one million square feet of retail space and around 8% of the retail bookselling market. Borders currently operates 42 Borders superstores in city centres and retail parks from Bournemouth to Inverness and 26 high street and airport bookshops under the Books etc. and Borders Express brands.

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