10 February, 2011

AURORA OPTS FOR 'FIRST OF ITS KIND' CLOUD COMPUTING SOLUTION WITH DIGIPOS
- Cloud 'comes of age' for retail Point of Sale -

Aurora Fashions, the international women's fashion retailer, has selected the Retail SaaS1 Point of Sale (PoS) solution from technology provider, DigiPoS Store Solutions, to help support the company's continued international growth. Through the solution, the retailer now operates a multi-brand PoS platform from a single store - the first of its kind.

Award-winning Aurora Fashions owns the Coast, Karen Millen, Oasis and Warehouse brands, and has a portfolio of over 1580 stores in 48 markets across the globe. In April 2010, the retailer opened an outlet in Munich, Germany, which houses three young fashion brands. At the time, the team realised they needed a PoS solution which would enable multi-brand trading under one roof. DigiPoS Store Solutions developed an operating model to enable the groundbreaking multi-brand PoS platform.

Commenting on the solution, Andy Tudor, development manager at Aurora Fashions, said: "When the Munich opportunity came about we knew we required a PoS solution that could adapt to the local market, and which would support multiple brands under the same roof. It was imperative for us to provide our customers with a seamless shopping experience, and for them to be able to connect with their preferred brands.

"Equally, we needed a technology that would be up and running quickly within the new market, and which could be supported by our UK IT services team. The DigiPoS Retail SaaS solution is scalable and can be quickly configured, and tailored to suit local market conditions. It was operational in the Munich store in a time frame of less than eight weeks. It has also proved to be a very cost-effective option."

Ian Patterson, managing director at DigiPoS Store Solutions, added: "We are excited to have launched this breakthrough technology into the retail sector, and proud to be working with the strong brands in the Aurora portfolio.

"Today's retailers should take advantage of the cloud to simplify their - often complex - PoS solutions. Where the model wins is that it helps the right people access data at the right time. It is an enabling and empowering technology, which is also resilient and very secure, and, I believe, it is set to change the way the retail sector operates."

SaaS technology offers real-time information and sales; pooling all information into one central server. It can be configured and deployed quickly and with ease on a multi-channel level - assisting with the convergence of bricks and mortar with ecommerce.

DigiPos is able to build a model where the SaaS solution is migrated throughout an entire organisation, or just one store at a time. The solution can also be implemented to run in parallel with the current till system, and can also be tailored to reside at a local level.

Following the success of the Munich launch, Aurora has also completed a roll out to seven further stores across Sweden, supported by the DigiPoS Retail SaaS technology.

1 Software as a solution

-Ends-

Notes to editors

About Aurora:

Aurora Fashions owns, develops and manages the performance of some of the UK's most respected women's fashion brands - Coast, Karen Millen, Oasis and Warehouse - which are all aimed at the higher end of the market.

Aurora's four fashions brands are among the most recognised in the UK and internationally with 1,586 stores in 48 countries.

Aurora's store portfolio breaks down as follows:
UK / International
Coast 207 / 117
Karen Millen 91 / 213
Oasis 253 / 241
Warehouse 306 / 158

About DigiPoS Store Solutions:

Established in the UK in 1994, DigiPoS Store Solutions has delivered its specifically 'Designed for Retail' DigiPoS hardware brand right across the retail sector.

Now operating in over 16 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and North America, the company continues to enhance its reputation as the specialist retail solutions provider.

The group has received considerable recognition for providing cost-effective, high performance hardware and services combinations, whilst building a reputation for innovation and value. DigiPoS Retail Blade, Dynamic Blade and Retail Core technologies have seen the company win numerous awards including European Retailers Supplier of the Year. Its flagship software application Retail SaaS is also set to change the way in which retailers approach application deployment.

The group now employs over 270 people and maintains an impressive profitable trading record. This has been achieved through aggressive organic growth, driven by retailer product/service demand, combined with carefully selected acquisitions. For further corporate information log onto www.digipos-solutions.com

In December 2010, DigiPoS launched its mCommerce ecosystem, called MobileShopper. A first for the retail sector, the Smartphone-based application presently runs on the Apple iPhone, and will soon be available on Google Android and Blackberry.

For further information, interviews and photography, please contact:

Katrina Suppiah
Publicité Ltd
T: 020 8543 6582
E: k.suppiah@publicite.co.uk

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