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Australia's leading supplier of tenant focused property management and leasing software, Eastcoast Property Software (EPS) has acquired the business of Rental Information Services (RIS).

Using statutory records from the land titles office, RIS has compiled a database of details on over 6,000 individual leases in NSW shopping centres. The information is collated and sold to retailers providing detailed information on comparative rents, outgoings and other relevant information.

RIS has a large customer base, including well-known retailers such as Cue Design, Sportscene, Darrell Lea and HMV Music Stores.

EPS managing director Adam Ramshaw said the acquisition of RIS further strengthened EPS's position as a leading provider of tenant-focused software and information services.

"RIS is a strategic acquisition for EPS because it expands our product range and gives us an immediate presence in property information services. It builds our offering to EPS clients and allows us to market our property management software and services to RIS's clients." Ramshaw says.

The RIS service provides retailers with occupancy cost information, by shopping centre or retail sector. Retailers use this information in a variety of ways including;

• Lease negotiations
• Determining new store locations
• Developing feasibility studies and budgets for new stores
• Benchmarking themselves against their peers

"EPS was already focused on Benchmarking with our EPS Web Service," says Ramshaw. "The acquisition of RIS will enable us to kick-start our Benchmarking initiative with an immediate database of 6,000 NSW retail leases.

"RIS's database, combined with EPS's current customer base, and the information that will be available from the EPS web-service, means EPS have access to the largest non-landlord based source of lease information in Australia."

The EPS web-service software is designed specifically for retail tenants to manage multiple property leases for both large and small retailers. It is accessed via the Internet and allows customers to scale the service to their exact needs.

The data in the EPS Web Service will be aggregated to determine key performance indicators through an anonymous pooling mechanism customised for particular industry groups.

At present the RIS service provides three standard reports: single shopping centres, annual subscription and summary usage reports. EPS will be expanding the range and delivery formats of the reports over the next few months.

"It is EPS's intent to expand the RIS database to cover other states, where applicable legislation is in place, and provide retailers with even more comprehensive information. Given our success with EPS software in the United States, over time we will also look for opportunities for RIS style services in that market," Ramshaw said.

For further information, please contact:

Adam Ramshaw Managing Director Tel: (61 2) 9419 8356 Mob: 0416 040 566 aramshaw@eps.net.au

Ben Jarvis Financial & Corporate Relations Pty Ltd Tel: (61 2) 9235 1666 b.jarvis@fcr.com.au