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Schöneck, 28 May 2009 – The GK SOFTWARE Group has taken over the operating business of Solquest GmbH backdated to 1 May 2009. The company headquartered in Waldbronn is an important provider of store integration and mobile solutions for the retail market.
The solutions provided by Solquest GmbH are used, among other things, to link the central SAP merchandise management systems with the processes in stores. The products of SOLQUEST GmbH are successfully used by customers like Coop (Switzerland), EDEKA Südwest, Dohle or tegut. As a result, GK SOFTWARE AG is further extending its technological and innovation leadership in its target market.
The new major release 12 of GK/Retail has received two important certifications from SAP AG.
Gebr. Heinemann KG equips Travel Value & Duty Free and Concept & Licence Shops with GK/Retail
Schoeneck, 24 March 2009 – Gebr. Heinemann KG, one of the leading operators of airport shops, has started to roll out GK/Retail at its retail channel. The first stage involves installing the market-leading retail solution from GK SOFTWARE AG in approx. 130 of the company’s shops at airports in Germany and Denmark. GK/Retail has been adapted to the special requirements of this project, which involves selling items at airports and the duty-free business. GK SOFTWARE AG is acting as the prime contractor in this project and is responsible for the complete roll-out, service and support.
The traditional Hanseatic trading company Gebr. Heinemann commissioned GK SOFTWARE AG to equip the Travel Value & Duty Free and Concept & Licence shops with GK/Retail in the spring of 2008. The first steps were taken to gradually switch the stores at German airports to GK/Retail in the fall of 2008. The roll-out in Germany should be complete by the end of this year, if all goes according to plan. Alongside this, preparations are being made to switch the stores in Denmark and this process is due to start in the next few months. There are also plans to equip the Gebr. Heinemann shops in other countries with the software at a later date.
As the retail sector at airports requires special features, GK/Retail has been expanded to include specific airport functions. The flexible architecture of the standard software meant that the project could be realized in a very short time – the blueprint and development phase leading up to the first active pilot run only took about six months. During this period, GK SOFTWARE implemented the special requirements for Gebr. Heinemann and new hardware and the legal requirement to detect air ticket data were integrated in the store software. At the same time, connections were created with the different ERP systems used (SAP and Navision) – depending on the type of store – via the standard XML interface of the StoreWeaver middleware. Gebr. Heinemann KG is planning to make use of further opportunities to establish customer loyalty and approach customers with specific aims at POS units in future – all based on the new store software.
This is the first project where GK SOFTWARE AG is operating as the prime contractor and, among other things, is providing the full 24/7 service for the stores on behalf of Gebr. Heinemann. Hans Lechner, IT Manager at Gebr. Heinemann, says: “Our decision to purchase the GK SOFTWARE AG solution was not just taken because the company was able to provide us with very modern and flexible store software, but also because we are able to obtain all the services related to the software from one source.”
Rainer Gläß, CEO at GK SOFTWARE AG, is also confident that the companies can work together successfully in future: “We are delighted to have acquired another internationally successful retail company in the shape of Gebr. Heinemann to use our software and services. This also underlines the success of our strategy of offering lasting services in addition to our market-leading software. We are convinced that nobody can offer better service for its software than the software producer itself.”
Schöneck, 5 March 2009 – Netto Marken-Discount AG & Co. KG will install GK/Retail as its standard software during the next few months at all the PLUS stores that it takes over. Netto will deploy the same GK/Retail modules currently used in all of their other retail outlets.
Once the PLUS retail outlets, which were formerly part of the Tengelmann Group, are taken over by the store network of Netto Marken-Discount AG & Co. KG , part of the EDEKA Group, the store IT equipment will be standardized. Over 2,500 PLUS stores will be equipped with the same GK/Retail configuration that is already successfully deployed at the Netto retail outlets.
The switch to touch tills with GK/Retail will have been completed by the middle of next year. Also new to the former PLUS stores is the use of the mobile merchandise management suite, GK/Retail Mobile, and GK/Retail Workflow. One particular challenge was to allow the company to continue to operate its existing older Point-of-Sale (POS) hardware, which will be expanded with touch screens in future. The stores will also be upgraded with automatic empties machines from various manufacturers which will be integrated into the new store infrastructure.
GK SOFTWARE AG has been providing store automation solutions to Netto since 2003. Netto was the first food retail store chain in Germany to introduce a chain-wide touch POS solution at the point of sale. The GK/Retail suite and store infrastructure is managed centrally with GK/Retail Enterprise Storemanager. Netto also uses the mobile merchandise management software, GK/Retail Mobile. The software, which can operate both on-line and off-line, enables merchandise management business processes at stores to be handled efficiently anywhere in the building. Netto also operates GK/Retail Workflow, the workflow software that allows the enterprise to distribute news and information to all its stores in real time.
Coop Switzerland has installed GK/Retail at its first pilot store this week. This means that it has only taken seven months to begin business operations with this complex project involving central architecture. 1,400 Coop stores operating in various retail sectors will be equipped with GK/Retail as the project continues.
Die Parfümerie Douglas GmbH ist Gewinner des Retail Technology Awards Europe in der Kategorie "Best In-Store Solution".
"Die Vereinheitlichung der Systeme, gerade bei international agierenden Unternehmen, ist zwingend erforderlich um die Geschäftsprozesse effizient zu gestalten“, begründet Juror Ulrich Spaan die Entscheidung.
zur Pressemitteilung des EHI: http://www.ehi.org
EDEKA Minden-Hannover Successfully Utilizes the GK/Retail Store Solution
Schöneck / February 18, 2008 – EDEKA Minden-Hannover has decided for the GK Software AG as technology partner for applications in the retail trade. Within five months only, the project was realized and was turned to live in the first branch stores. In addition to the POS solution, the centralization of the branch store servers and the StoreWeaver data hub form the core of the project.
EDEKA Minden-Hannover that is the biggest regional EDEKA trading company with about 1,500 markets has decided for the use of GK/Retail to unify its branch store IT. Beginning From January, the about 4,500 POS systems in the various sales lines such as E center, E neukauf, E aktiv, Marktkauf or Reichelt are fitted with GK/Retail in uniform manner. After the project start at the end of May 2007, the GK Software AG needed about five months only until the first markets in two different sales lines could their productive operation using the new solution in November.
EDEKA Minden-Hannover belongs to the first customers that utilize the new Enterprise Store Server developed by the GK Software AG. Thus, the branch store servers are completely relocated into the head office and the branch stores online access these systems. To ensure the unobstructed operation even in case of mains failures, the GK Software AG's new Business Continuity Technology is used in the project. It guarantees that all subsystems in the branch store can be operated without any restrictions from within the head office even in case of data flow interruption.
A particular challenge of the branch store project at EDEKA Minden-Hannover consists in the integration of the central SAP system and the branch store systems differently grown due their history. For example, via StoreWeaver, the new POS solution and the central BackOffice system have to be connected to various merchandise management solutions that are used in the different sales lines. At EDEKA Minden-Hannover, the StoreWeaver integration platform becomes the central hub via which all data streams within the branch store an between branch store and head office flow. For example, via the StoreWeaver, Vensafe or empties return automats as well as the central Data Warehouse and the cash register systems are supplied with data.
Gerhard Riechmann as managing director of the EDEKA Minden-Hannover IT-/logistic service GmbH understands the project as a big step toward a homogenous and up-to-date IT landscape in the EDEKA branch stores. EDEKA Minden-Hannover expects that considerable savings and a reduction of the complexity on site will be achieved by means of the central Bac
The GK Software AG Draws Impressive Balance
The GK Software AG further on writes on its unique success story. Seven new rolled-out projects and seven new country versions are the highlights of the last year that clearly attest the successful growth trend of the GK Software AG. In addition, the GK/Retail suite was further developed and, once again, was considerably extended with the central branch store server, the HeadOffice applications as well as the new mobile solution version.
For the GK Software AG, the year 2007 was the most successful one in the 17-year history of the enterprise. Turnover and yield could be increased considerably. At the same time, the number of employees rose to about 160. To allow for this staff rise, the enterprise headquarters in Schöneck were considerably increased by an extension building. With that, the GK Software AG continues the developments of the last years and positions as one of the most important providers of branch store solutions in Europe.
The GK Software AG's growth was supported by the successful production rollout of seven new projects. For example, in 2007, all 700 Telekom Shop stores were equipped with GK/Retail. Furthermore, the piloting or the rollout was started with the Kaufhof Warenhaus AG, the EDEKA Minden and further big customers from the areas of food retail trade (WEZ), food retailing-Discount, book trade (Thalia), sporting goods (Intersport Voswinkel) and beverage trade. In parallel to that, existing customer projects were further developed and extended by multitude of new functionalities.
In 2007, the GK/Retail capabilities with respect to the international use were clearly shown again. For example, seven new country versions were transferred into the productive operation (among them, several versions for countries with fiscal legislation). At the same time, with the first installations in the USA, the fourth continent was entered with GK/Retail. With that, GK/Retail is now utilized in 25 countries.
For the GK Software AG, the year 2007 was very important in the area of new solutions too. With the Enterprise Store Server, the innovative central BackOffice solution was introduced on the market that has already proven in the productive use. At the same time, new or extended central components such as the Promotion Designer, the coupon server or the gift card were rolled out. These components as well as the new GK/Retail Mobile version will be presented to the specialized public on the EuroShop in Dusseldorf.
Rainer Gläß, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the GK Software AG: "We are pleased about a further outstanding year. For us, this means motivation and incentive to continue this very positive development in the coming year. In 2007, we again showed that we are able with our GK/Retail solution to successfully realize projects of different size in diverse branches of trade and countries with an unparalleled Time to Market and highest quality."
Schöneck, 11 December 2008 -- GK SOFTWARE AG has received an order from HORNBACH-Baumarkt-AG to adapt its GK/Retail standard software to the specific processes used by the successful home improvement store chain. The aim of the project is to jointly develop the adapted version of the standard software until the pilot version is ready. This is a first important step by GK SOFTWARE AG to tap into the home improvement retail sector with its standard GK/Retail software.
Schöneck, May 30, 2008 – The Swiss retailer Coop has chosen GK/Retail as its new point of sales system for about 1,400 stores. Several sales lines at Switzerland’s second largest retail enterprise will be switched to GK SOFTWARE AG’s standard solution over the next few years. This success story is ample proof of the company’s leading position in the point of sales systems sector – beyond Germany’s borders too.
Following a comprehensive selection process, Coop, the second largest retailer group in Switzerland with annual revenues of 14.9 Swiss francs, opted for GK/Retail. Coop will equip its approx. 1,400 stores with the standard solution from GK SOFTWARE AG in future.
As a result, GK/Retail will be used in conjunction with the POS, Enterprise Store Server, Store Manager and Enterprise Cockpit modules in the following sales outlets: Coop supermarkets, Coop City department stores, TopTip/Lumimart furniture stores, Coop Bau+Hobby garden and building centres, Import Parfümerien shops, Christ Uhren & Schmuck stores and the Coop restaurants.
As part of the package, Coop will also make use of the Enterprise Store Server software, the central feature of GK SOFTWARE AG’s package. This allows the company to operate its back office services and data bases for the stores at one central location. Suse Linux Enterprise Server will be installed in the stores as the operating system.
Rainer Gläß, CEO and member of the management board at GK SOFTWARE AG says: “We are very proud to have acquired another significant European retailer, Coop, as our customer. We also view this as a confirmation of our international expansion strategy. Our technologically advanced standard solution provides ideal operating conditions and can be used with any hardware platform.”
The Retail Innovators