BUILDING MATERIALS HOLDING CORPORATION SELECTS
ORACLE RETAIL SOFTWARE SOLUTION RETEK DATA WAREHOUSE
TO PROVIDE VALUE-ADDED SELLING TOOL
Oracle Corp. and Retek Retail Solutions, an HNC Software Company, announced that Building Materials Holding Corp. (BMHC), a leading distributor and retailer of building materials, selected Oracle Retail to enhance BMHC's value-added selling process. The Retek Data Warehouse solution is a component of Oracle Retail, a comprehensive software solution that enables large retailers to manage for maximum profitability by streamlining operations and providing actionable information for better business decisions.
Headquartered in San Francisco, BMHC is among the largest distributors and retailers of building materials in the US, with more than $728 million in sales during 1997 and projected calendar year 1998 sales of $850 million. A key business strategy for BMHC is focusing on sales of higher-margin, value-added products such as millwork and pre-fabricated roof trusses. With Oracle Retail, BMHC expects to enhance its value-added selling efforts through better information, such as details on customer buying patterns, results of trade promotions and inventory levels.
The Retek Data Warehouse will allow BMHC to combine operational data with external information such as housing starts, climate changes and other factors to better understand both customers and market conditions in the construction industry. With in-depth knowledge, BMHC will be able to more effectively target and sell high-margin products that meet customer needs and deliver added value. More than 150 are slated to have access to the system by mid-1999, and BMHC plans to enable collaboration with customers and suppliers shortly thereafter.
"Our data warehouse will provide detailed information that our employees can use to locate and pursue selling opportunities," said John Cooper, chief information officer for BMHC. "Each store will be able to review its own performance, and data will be made available across the organization -- district managers will have information ranging from single stores to the entire region, as well as detail down to performance of individual salespeople. With this type of actionable business intelligence, our sales teams will have a better relationship with customers and a competitive advantage."
Implementation of Oracle Retail is central to BMHC's ongoing efforts to enhance IT infrastructure. To date, BMHC has installed a state-ofthe -art Wide Area Network and standardized numerous in-store and backoffice systems. BMHC has also standardized on Oracle Financials, which will integrate with the Data Warehouse at several key points. As a long-time Oracle customer, BMHC felt secure in choosing the Oracle-Retek solution -- leveraging the strengths of Retek Retail Solutions, an innovator in retailing software, and Oracle Corporation, a recognized global leader in information management and Internet computing technology.
"Low-cost Internet deployment was a big cost driver for BMHC, and the Web-enablement of the solution was a major decision factor for us," said Dan Glasstetter, data warehouse coordinator for BMHC. "In addition, we have always received excellent support from the local Oracle office, and Retek's strong alliance with Oracle gives us confidence that we can expect terrific service and support with Oracle Retail -- it made our selection process a real no-brainer."
According to Mary-Lou Smulders, vice president of Oracle's Consumer Sector, BMHC's selection of Oracle Retail underscores the unique combination of flexibility and deep functionality that defines the Oracle-Retek product offering. "Across any number of retailing formats, ranging from fashion retailing to building materials, Oracle Retail offers a broad selection of powerful solutions that can deliver business benefits as standalone modules or as part of an integrated enterprise suite. This unmatched flexibility is proving to be an important strategic combination for our rapidly growing customer base."
Oracle Retail combines the talents, resources, and technology of Oracle Corporation and Retek Retail Solutions. Leveraging Oracle development tools and database technology, Oracle Retail is the only completely Web-enabled solution designed specifically for the retail industry that integrates Oracle's Financials, Human Resources, Payroll and E-Commerce systems with Retek's line of retail management solutions. Available now, Oracle Retail is the most complete and functionally-rich solution for fashion, mass merchandise, department store, specialty, grocery and convenience store retailers.
Created through an Industry Solutions Initiative (ISI) partnership with Retek Retail Solutions, the Oracle Retail application suite leverages Oracle's Architected Best-In-Class (ABC) strategy, where Oracle combines its own technology with the products of other proven, industry-specific technology providers to create an integrated, best-of-breed solution for each industry. Retek has been confirmed as the Architected Best-In-Class retail solution. Retek's proven, retail-specific solutions certify Oracle Retail as Retek Enabled. Under the ISI program, Oracle serves as a single source for the technology products, implementation services and support. This approach has helped Oracle become a leading provider of applications in several industries, including consumer goods manufacturing, energy, financial services and industrial manufacturing.
Retek Retail Solutions, a business unit of HNC Software Inc., is a leading supplier of predictive enterprise-wide retail management solutions. The Retek Predictive Enterprise Solution is client/ server-based, using Oracle tools and database, and supports full NetPC/Web/Java functionality. Retek's predictive solutions provide improved decision-making capability throughout the supply chain. For more information, visit http://www.retek.com or call 888-617-3835.
About HNC Software Inc.
Headquartered in San Diego, California, HNC Software Inc. is a world leader in the development and delivery of predictive software solutions in client/server environments. HNC provides innovative predictive software systems in the financial services, retail, healthcare/insurance information, electronic commerce, and telecommunications markets. For more information, visit HNC's Web site at http://www.hnc.com or contact Jane Leonard, HNC Software Inc., 5930 Cornerstone Court West, San Diego, CA 92121, 619-546-8877. For investor relations hotline, call 800-396-8052.
Oracle Corporation is a leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest software company. With annual revenues of more than $8.0 billion, the company offers its database, application server, tools and application products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 145 countries around the world.
For more information about Oracle Corporation, please call 650-506-7000. Oracle's World Wide Web address is http://www.oracle.com.