WH Smith PLC Selects MicroStrategy to Anchor BI Initiatives

MicroStrategy Incorporated, a leading worldwide provider of business intelligence software, announced that WH Smith PLC, the United Kingdom's largest magazine and book retailer with locations worldwide, recently selected MicroStrategy 7 to anchor its business intelligence initiatives. This $1 million agreement for MicroStrategy software and services is designed to enhance WH Smith's ability to perform online sales and profitability reporting. WH Smith will soon extend its business intelligence capabilities by deploying MicroStrategy Narrowcast Server across its enterprise to deliver personalized, proactive information to its employees.

"WH Smith chose MicroStrategy's platform because of its intuitive user interface, rapid deployment, and easy customization and integration capabilities," said Mark Leckie, business systems manager at WH Smith PLC. "MicroStrategy's strong relationship with ICL and its willingness to satisfy our business and commercial requirements contributed to MicroStrategy becoming our business intelligence corporate standard."

MicroStrategy's platform will make it possible for a wide range of employees, including senior management and store, area, and regional managers, to perform intuitive, Web-based query and reporting against WH Smith's Teradata data warehouse. WH Smith employees will also be able to receive exception alerts delivered through SMS and email -- making it easier for them to act on trends and drive strategic decision-making at all levels.

"We are excited that WH Smith has chosen the MicroStrategy 7 platform as the foundation for its business intelligence initiatives," said Sanju K. Bansal, chief operating officer at MicroStrategy Incorporated. "We believe that our business intelligence platform will give WH Smith the ability to turn insight into action, and lead to better decision-making across its enterprise."

About WH Smith PLC

WH Smith is one of the leading UK retailing groups incorporating market leading companies in the areas of retailing, consumer publishing and news distribution and is the number one book and magazine seller in the UK. Approximately 530 high street retail stores (including renamed stores acquired from John Menzies) sell reading material, stationery, music, computer games, and videos. WH Smith also runs approximately 190 stores in European airports and train stations, more than 500 stores in US airports and hotels, and approximately 20 stores in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong mainly in Airports. WH Smith sells online through its www.WHSmith.co.uk site, and operates the largest newspaper and magazine distributorship in the UK. It also owns Hodder Headline, a top UK trade publishing house.

About MicroStrategy

MicroStrategy is a leading provider of business intelligence software for Global 5000 organizations. Since 1990, the company has specialized in helping businesses transform their extensive operational data into actionable information. MicroStrategy's business intelligence platform gives organizations solutions to their query, reporting, and advanced analytical needs, and distributes insight to users via Web, wireless, and voice.

MicroStrategy 7, the company's scalable business intelligence platform, is built specifically for the Internet. Its pure-Web architecture provides the reporting, security, performance, and standards that are critical for deployment over the Web. Within intranets, the company's products provide employees with information to make better business decisions. In extranets, extended enterprises use MicroStrategy 7 to build stronger relationships by linking customers and suppliers via the Internet.

MicroStrategy has approximately 1,100 enterprise-class customers including Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, AT&T Wireless Group, First Union Corporation and GlaxoSmithKline. MicroStrategy also has relationships with over 200 systems integrators, application development, and platform partners including IBM, PeopleSoft, Compaq, Informatica, and JD Edwards. For more information on the company, or to purchase or demo MicroStrategy's software, please visit MicroStrategy's Web site at www.microstrategy.com.

Contact Aaron Radelet of MicroStrategy Incorporated, 703-848-8600, pr_info@microstrategy.com.