UCS Software, part of the JSE Securities Exchange-listed UCS Group, has landed an export deal worth R3.5 million following a decision from retailer, Kamal Osman Jamjoom (KOJ), to roll-out its Windows-based ActiveRetail software solution at an initial 160 stores in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Muscat and Qatar.
Craig Nielsen, software distribution director at UCS Software, said the roll-out at the first 160 stores marks the start of "a strategic relationship between our companies".
KOJ deals with four global retail brands - two it owns, the third is the franchisee for the Saudi Western region, and the fourth is a franchisee for UK-based brands for the Middle East. KOJ, a 15-year success story, is on an aggressive expansion drive. "The final number of stores is expected to be significantly higher than the 160 given the broad retail vision that KOJ has in the region," says Nielsen.
The retail brands under the KOJ umbrella include Nayomi, Mikyajy, Early Learning Centre, and The Body Shop. KOJ has two offices in Jeddah and Dubai, with another regional office in Riyadh expected to start operations in April 2003.
Thameem Rizvon, Group IT head at KOJ, confirmed that the group is on a major expansion drive. "We need the right software to handle our businesses. We did extensive research into potential solutions, ultimately deciding on ActiveRetail. One of the main reasons for this is because it can fully integrate into the Great Plains financial system, which we are currently using. In addition, the company has been developing retail software for 15 years and knows the needs of the marketplace well. The other main factor centres around the fact that its software solution - which has won international retail awards from Microsoft - is incredibly feature-rich and it is very scalable. That means we can grow comfortably with it, which is a very important point for us. We don`t want to have upgrade problems or end up with dead-end software."
Rizvon said: "UCS Software clearly understood our business needs. While we took a look at a lot of vendors, both local and international, we at KOJ felt that UCS Software, as a software manufacturer, had a clear edge over the other contenders."
Rizvon said his company views UCS Software "more as partners than suppliers. UCS Software has the right pedigree. We were impressed with the depth and retail domain expertise of their team and its ActiveRetail software has all the ingredients - and future growth path - which we require in our expanding enterprise."
Peter Ludi, Sales Principal at UCS Software, said his company won the international contract against 25 local and international competitors. "We understand the retail domain and are proving ourselves as an international market leader. When it comes to international deals with market leaders like KOJ, we take a detailed look at the client`s requirements, and deliver a solution moulded around the customer`s strategic business and IT goals. Retail implementations are all about effective deployment with reduced risk to customer," said Ludi.
Nielsen said the contract with KOJ - which is seen as a strategic partnership by both parties - "adds a prestigious client to our Middle East customer base and improves our referencibility for ActiveRetail in that region. This is a very important win for us in that region and proves that our strategy of building high quality software in SA and selling it internationally through localised service providers has market acceptance and that we are well positioned to compete in the global software market," he stressed.
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