TradeStone CEO Sue Welch And IDC Merchandise Strategies Director Greg Girard To Co-Present At Next Generation Retail Summit In Germany

Industry Visionaries to Speak on Importance of Unified Merchandise Lifecycle Management to EU Retail Leaders

BREMEN, Germany, Sept. 14, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

News Facts:

• TradeStone Software, delivering Merchandise Lifecycle Management (MLM) solutions that unify the design, sourcing, ordering and delivery of private label and branded goods, today announced that CEO Sue Welch will be co-presenting with IDC Director of Merchandise Strategies Greg Girard at the Next Generation Retail EU Summit in Bremen, Germany on September 15.  
• The invitation-only NGR EU Summit brings together the top retail leaders from across Europe to exchange ideas and to hear from visionaries about the future of retail technology and the imperatives for success today.  
• Sue Welch is widely known for her visionary perspectives on the merchandise lifecycle management process and the need—and value—for a holistic, integrated approach. As the founder of TradeStone Software, she and her staff of retail industry experts integrated best-practices thinking into the company's award-winning solutions.  
• Greg Girard of IDC brings decades of experience following and analyzing all aspects of the merchandise planning and management world. Formerly a respected analyst with AMR (now Gartner) and a retail expert in well-known planning software companies, Girard also sees the importance of a single merchandising backbone to a retailer's success.  
• Welch and Girard's presentation, "Merchandise Lifecycle Management: Bridging the Design to Delivery Gap" will lay out the case for an MLM strategy and the need to act quickly for success. Utilizing IDC research and real customer examples, the two will offer a compelling vision for a holistic approach to managing merchandise, from inspiration to in-store.

Supporting Quote:

• "We are honored to have been asked to co-present with a firm of IDC's stature to some of the leading retailers in Europe at such a recognized event," said Alan Gold, Chief Marketing Officer, TradeStone Software. "The concept of Merchandise Lifecycle Management as an end-to-end approach to managing the merchandising process is one that has been gaining visibility in the analyst and media communities after having proven itself across many of our retail customers. Both Sue Welch's perspectives and IDC's related research underscore the strategic value that MLM brings."

About TradeStone Software, Inc.

TradeStone Software helps retailers, brand manufacturers and suppliers increase market share and improve margins through the use of Merchandise Lifecycle Management solutions that unify the design, sourcing, ordering and delivery of their private label and branded goods. Organizations including American Eagle Outfitters, Belk, Boots, Guitar Center, Kohl's, Le Chateau, Macy's, NBrown Catalog Company, Pacific Sunwear, Shoprite, The Children's Place, Urban Outfitters and Wilkinson use TradeStone's solutions to help them bring innovative and highly profitable products to market at record speeds.