Kiabi European Growth Story Underpinned by Manhattan Associates



    Leading supply chain solutions provider, Manhattan Associates,
    Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH), today announced that Kiabi, one of France's
    leading value-clothing fashion retailers, has completed its multi-site
    roll-out of Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management for Open
    Systems across its national distribution centres (NDCs) at Macon
    (22,000m(2), South-East France), Villeneuve d'Ascq (28,000m(2),
    Northern France), Dourges (33,000m(2), Northern France) and Madrid
    (Spain). Kiabi is now focusing its attention on a fifth stage of its
    European-wide deployment of Manhattan Associates' solution at an NDC
    in Tournai (24,000m2, Belgium).

    Kiabi, which offers an extensive range of womenswear, menswear,
    childrenswear and baby clothing, employs 6,000 staff and fulfils more
    than 40,000 store orders every year. These orders amount to 95 million
    individual items and are bought by customers in Kiabi's 160+ stores
    across France, Spain, Italy and in the Middle East, as well as through
    its website. Each of its five NDCs across France, Belgium and Spain
    handles a specific product range enabling the multi-channel retailer
    to meet the supply requirements of both its store and on-line
    channels.

    Having determined several years prior that the company's specific
    supply chain system infrastructure would not be robust enough to
    support the future expansion of the business, Kiabi made the decision
    to select a new warehouse management solution. Kiabi's primary
    objective was to achieve an optimised supply chain execution
    capability that would allow it to replenish each day every single item
    of the hundreds of thousands of items it sells across its retail
    operations.

    Working in collaboration with leading French analyst firm CXP,
    Kiabi conducted a thorough review and evaluation of the different
    offers available on the market. The company selected Warehouse
    Management for Open Systems, a component of Manhattan Associates'
    Integrated logistics Solutions(TM), for a number of reasons. Firstly,
    the solution's functionality was wider and deeper than other solutions
    available and so few bespoke enhancements would be needed. Critically,
    the technical architecture was in line with Kiabi's standards, and
    finally, a further important consideration for Kiabi was that
    Manhattan Associates had a tremendous wealth of experience in the
    fashion industry.

    The multi-site solution roll-out was initiated at the 22,000m(2)
    Macon warehouse in South-East France. Based on the Macon
    implementation, the Kiabi and Manhattan Associates teams designed a
    deployment duplication model that would facilitate and accelerate
    installations at other sites. Subsequently, Kiabi implemented
    Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management for Open Systems at its
    Villeneuve d'Ascq warehouse in Northern France, and then at its
    warehouses in Dourges and Madrid. Thanks to the duplication model,
    Kiabi was able to deploy the solution in only 10 days at these sites
    instead of the 30 days previously needed.

    In terms of benefits, Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management
    for Open Systems solution has enabled Kiabi to optimise its warehouse
    operations by providing much more flexibility and accuracy. Picking
    waves which couldn't be amended by the old system once they'd been
    prepared and launched, can now be modified at any time. This
    capability helps Kiabi accommodate order changes right up to the time
    of goods despatch. In the two-year 'ramp up' period during which the
    system has been rolled-out, Kiabi's distribution facilities have
    comfortably handled a volume growth in excess of 25%. The solution has
    also provided Kiabi with much clearer visibility into its global
    supply chain operations. Finally, the implementation approach that
    Kiabi and Manhattan Associates have jointly taken allows Kiabi to open
    new sites very rapidly and therefore support the business's high
    growth strategy.

    "New system functionality provided by Manhattan Associates'
    Warehouse Management solution, combined with Manhattan Associates'
    expertise in the apparel retail sector, has allowed us to optimise our
    processes and improve the performance of our distribution centres,"
    comments Beatrice Regnier, logistics organisation manager at Kiabi.
    "The technical architecture on which Manhattan Associates' Warehouse
    Management for Open Systems is based corresponds to the operating
    environment preference of our IT department. This aspect, associated
    with the solution's evolution road-map, offers us a solid foundation
    on which to build our logistics function to support the business's
    future expansion."

    Henri Seroux, managing director of Manhattan Associates France,
    commented, "We're excited to be supporting Kiabi as it pursues its
    strategy to become one of Europe's leading players in the value
    fashion retailing sector. What we can guarantee as the multi-channel
    retailer grows is that our solutions will grow with it. Helping Kiabi
    to reach its dual goals of higher efficiency and optimised service is
    part of our pledge to deliver an unrivalled set of Integrated
    Logistics solutions to the fashion retail sector."

    Kiabi is currently planning a further deployment of Manhattan
    Associates' solution at a sixth warehouse in Northern France in two
    years' time.

    About Kiabi

    Fashion at low price! This concept was invented by Kiabi in 1978,
    and the brand remains closely associated to it. Today, its 160+ stores
    in France, Spain, Italy and the Middle-East offer quality fashion
    clothing and accessories for men, women, children and babies at highly
    competitive prices. The company aims to become the number one company
    in France operating in the value-clothing space. For more information,
    visit www.kiabi.com.

    About Manhattan Associates, Inc.

    Manhattan Associates(R) is a leading supply chain solutions
    provider. The company's supply chain planning, supply chain execution,
    business intelligence and business process platform capabilities
    enable its more than 1,200 customers worldwide to enhance
    profitability, performance and competitive advantage. For more
    information, please visit www.manh.com.