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Spectacular Growth at The Entertainer Underpinned by Manhattan Associates Supply Chain Systems Platf

27.04.2009

New DC Opening Drives 300 Percent Uplift in December Trading and Full Year Growth of more than 80 Percent.

Global supply chain optimisation provider Manhattan Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH), today announced that international toy retailer The Entertainer has put Manhattan ILS™: Integrated Logistics Solutions, built on Microsoft®.NET at the heart of its successful multi-channel retail operation. The Entertainer recently opened a new distribution centre (DC) in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, in the UK, to exclusively serve its online business, www.thetoyshop.com. Running on the latest version of Manhattan ILS, the new DC has facilitated a spectacular rise in sales transaction volumes.

This recent success follows a previous implementation of Manhattan ILS at the Entertainer's first DC — a 60,000 square foot facility also in Amersham — which up until the new warehouse opening operated as a DC serving both the physical stores and online sales channel. Here, the solution delivered immediate benefits including enhanced inventory visibility, improved picking accuracy and reduced order-to-delivery cycle times across both channels as well as better overall warehouse productivity. Within just two months of its implementation the system was able to handle the dramatic demand spike The Entertainer perennially experiences during the Christmas period. With the second warehouse becoming a dedicated fulfilment operation for its online business, the original warehouse now focuses exclusively on serving The Entertainer's store network.

"We've seen amazing growth through our direct channels this year, peaking with a 300 percent uplift during early December, which resulted in full year growth of more than 80 percent," commented Sue Dorkin, supply chain director at The Entertainer. "This success has been achieved through a combination of factors: driving demand through an extended range and marketing activities; supporting demand through greater availability of stock and operational efficiencies; and delivering great customer service. But underpinning all the growth was the move to a dedicated fulfilment facility supported by Manhattan ILS along with some key configuration changes within the supply chain system to optimise the operation for direct order picking. Now we've created a stable and effective infrastructure, we look forward to continued success in 2009."

"The flexibility of Manhattan ILS has been critical," added Ian Pulsford, head of IT at The Entertainer. "When we went live at the original DC, we were able to configure the system with just a few minor adjustments to support two entirely separate teams; one working on the fulfilment of online orders, and the other picking for the stores. Now that the two channels are supported by separate distribution facilities, we've created the additional capacity we needed and the transition from a technology point of view has been seamless. We're delighted with the Manhattan solution and without such a versatile system we just wouldn't be able to cope with the demand fluctuations that come with the territory when you are a retail business."

"As more retailers take a multi-channel approach to their business, they need their supply chain systems platform to be able to keep up," said Allen Scott, UK managing director at Manhattan Associates. "We are very pleased to have helped The Entertainer through this stage in its development and achieve the success it has during 2008. We're now looking forward to supporting the company in its quest for an even more successful year in 2009."



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