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An innovative Internet service enabling small retailers to manage their properties more efficiently has been launched today by Eastcoast Property Software (EPS). Called the EPS web-service, the new product is based on the successful EPS professional software package which is used by major Australian and international retailers including Coles Myer, David Jones, Just Jeans, Angus & Coote, Blockbuster Video and 7-Eleven.

EPS web-service puts small retailers on equal footing with the majors at a fraction of the cost. EPS web-service allows small retailers to:

Increase Revenue	by assisting retailers to make faster and more informed store location decisions. (EPS web-service allows retailers to measure store performance);
Lower Costs	by improving occupancy cost management, driving property related costs out of a business and straight to the bottom line. Occupancy costs can account for between 15 and 20% of a retailer's total cost base;
Lower Risk	by actively managing date critical information, preventing breach of lease events and creating comprehensive audit trials to prevent the unexpected from ever occurring.
Improve Businsess Planning	by providing accurate and simple information to generate budgeting, analysis and reporting for a entire property portfolio, at the touch of a button.

The company's managing director, Adam Ramshaw, said, "Small retailers can benefit from all the features of the original software package, giving them big-business functionality at a highly affordable cost". Speaking at the Retail Congress in Sydney, he stated that the software application provides retail clients with information and tools to manage their property portfolios effectively.

"The EPS web-service provides the means for informed business decisions and gives power to the retail tenant. Managing a lease can be outrageously time-consuming and complex. If you don't stay on top of the intricacies of a lease you can find yourself paying too much, or if you miss a crucial option date, you may well have to close your doors." said Ramshaw.

"Removing this time constraint allows a small retailer to increases its competitive advantage and get on with running its business."

In the past, this service was only available to larger retailers via the EPS Professional client/server package. The new development now provides a fully scaleable option for smaller retailers who can access it from an Application Service Provider without the associated capital costs and ongoing overheads.

The development of EPS Web-Service will also have a valuable benchmarking feature. The information gathered by EPS can be aggregated to determine key performance indicators through an anonymous pooling mechanism customised for particular industry groups. This powerful tool will enable users to compare their own performances be used in the analysis of possible locations for new stores and lease negotiations.

"The end user of our new service will require no more IT infrastructure than a PC and ISP arrangement," said Ramshaw. He added that EPS has developed relationships with companies such as Progress Software, which provides the web-based infrastructure software.

The company has also established a strategic alliance with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) which will promote the new service to its 3,500 members nationwide and to a further 16,600 members through affiliated associations.

EPS believes that no other product on the market addresses occupancy costs and related issues to the same extent as its own.

"The potential for EPS Web-Service is immense and the Internet provides the perfect means by which we can market it to single and small chain tenancies throughout Australia and globally.

"Based on the success of and growing demand for EPS professional in the US, there will certainly be a high demand for the EPS web-service in that market," said Ramshaw.

Company Background

EPS (Eastcoast Property Software) is a leading global supplier of software, information and services to retail tenants.

Established in 1994, the Australian-owned company has a user base that includes many of the country's largest retailers and several multinational chains - amongst them, Coles Myer, David Jones, Just Jeans, Angus and Coote, Dick Smith Electronics, Sportsgirl and Handbags International - as well as Australian subsidiaries of international retailers.

The company has an established client base in the US. Flagship customers include the hugely successful Jamba Juice with 220 sites and potential for a further 1,600. Others are Charlotte Russe, 85 stores, and Frazee Paint & Wallcovering with 65 stores. These clients are serviced by offices in Silicon Valley and Chicago.

The company's EPS Professional software package is specifically tailored to meet the requirements of the retail industry in areas such as store asset development and ongoing performance management.

The EPS Web-Service was developed by the Sydney-based company to offer EPS Professional benefits to smaller retail businesses addressing tenant leasing, construction, maintenance, benchmarking and other related asset management requirements.

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