PROCESSORS

International Lifestyle Brand ESPRIT Selects SAP to Support International Growth: Continuing its successful track record of providing retail and wholesale customers around the world with best-in-class business software, SAP AG today announced that ESPRIT, an international lifestyle brand, has selected mySAP ERP as the platform to run the company's global retail and wholesale operations. ESPRIT selected SAP to increase effectiveness and efficiency of its processes as well as to increase sales and support international growth. The agreement includes SAP for Retail solutions and the SAP Apparel and Footwear application. With this signing, ESPRIT joins a growing list of companies that are using the Safe Passage program -- a tailored package of applications, technology and incentives -- to migrate to SAP. The announcement was made at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Conference, being held in New York, NY, January 15-17. Choosing SAP, ESPRIT will focus on integrating its various applications, including existing implementations of financials and business intelligence applications from SAP, with the newly selected end-to-end retail suite and apparel and footwear application. This integration will enable the company to support its growth strategies as well as its vertical business model to integrate retail and wholesale within its supply chain. "We selected SAP because of the broad functional coverage SAP provides to both retail and wholesale processes," said Thomas Grote, President ESPRIT Brand. "We believe the SAP solutions will help us -- in understanding our customers, anticipating their needs and then being able to execute better and inspire them to shop with us again and again. This will ultimately help drive profitable business growth for ESPRIT." ESPRIT has selected SAP NetWeaver as the platform for enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA). SAP's integrated retail and supply chain solutions link supply directly to demand, shortening lead times and enabling companies to react quickly to changes in consumer demand. "SAP's industry focus and software customized for vertical apparel companies will enable ESPRIT to integrate and globalize its retail and wholesale business, reduce deployment risk and enhance its ability to compete in the global marketplace," said Rick Chavie, senior vice president, Trading Industries, SAP. "We are very pleased to welcome ESPRIT to the SAP retail and wholesale family."