Grupo Elektra Selects JDA's Retail IDEAS DW Solution

JDA Software Group Inc announced that Grupo Elektra, Latin America's leading specialty retailer with annual revenues of $1.2 billion, licensed JDA's closed loop data warehousing solution, Retail IDEAS, during first quarter 2000.

A long-time client of JDA's IBM AS/400-based host system, Merchandise Management System (MMS), Grupo Elektra preferred the decision support and analytic capabilities of Retail IDEAS to help improve its bottom line.

"Technology has always been an integral part of our corporate strategy," stated Elektra's vice president of Corporate Services, Gustavo Vega. "Since implementing MMS in 1995, we've expanded our operations into Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic and grown from 250 to more than 950 stores.

"In addition to our electronic and appliance chain, we've also opened an electronics outlet, Bodegas de Remate, and acquired two retail chains."

Added Vega, "MMS has played a key role in supporting our significant growth and innovative strategies over the years that have lead to our dominant market position.

"Since Retail IDEAS is fully integrated with MMS, we look forward to analyzing accurate and current information including daily sales, inventory movement, vendor performance and other selected plan data, to help us be even more pro- active in determining our competitive strategies and optimizing our business processes."

Welcoming the opportunity to build upon JDA's long relationship with Elektra, Carlos Teixeira, JDA's vice president of Latin American operations, stated, "We have prided ourselves on the ability to provide the latest technology for today's retailers.

"Retail IDEAS in conjunction with MMS will prove to be a very powerful analytic and action support tool that will enable Elektra to better understand and meet their customers' needs as well as improve inventory management and decrease costs."

Having begun the project in mid-April and with plans to be live in September, Grupo Elektra is running Retail IDEAS on IBM's AS/400 platform.

About Grupo Elektra

Grupo Elektra is Latin America's leading specialty retailer, with three separate retail chains that target Latin America's growing middle class. The group operates 946 stores in 320 cities in Mexico and five other countries in Latin America.

The principal business units include: Elektra, which offers electronic goods, furniture and appliances to middle and lower-middle income groups; Hecali/The One, a family clothing merchandiser offering basic and basic fashion clothing; Salinas y Rocha, which focuses on furniture, electronic goods and appliances for the middle and upper middle income groups; CrediFacil, which extends financing credit to all Grupo Elektra's customers; and Dinero en Minutos/Dinero Express, which provides money transfer services from the U.S. to Mexico and within Mexico.

Grupo Elektra is also the first retailer to successfully offer revolving credits plans to low and middle income families in Latin America with an approximate collection rate of 97 percent. Grupo Elektra also holds a major investment in TV Azteca, one of two broadcast television networks in Mexico. Mass-market advertising through TV Azteca is an integral element of Elektra's strategy.

About JDA Software Group

JDA Software Group Inc is a leading global provider of integrated software products and professional services with more than 4,100 retail and manufacturing clients in over 50 countries.

Designed for multi-channel companies with physical, virtual and catalog operations, JDA's e-retail solutions include merchandising, planning, space management, allocation and decision support systems; warehouse management and logistics systems; point-of-sale and back-office in-store systems; and such dynamic B2C and B2B applications as Internet Portals and the industry's first integrated commercial e-commerce solution.

Founded in 1985, JDA employs approximately 1,100 associates operating from 26 offices worldwide.

With headquarters in Scottsdale, the company has offices in major cities throughout the United States as well as internationally in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, refer to JDA's Web site at www.jda.com.

Contact JDA Software Group Inc, Tracey Schofield 480-308-3204 tracey.schofield@jda.com