For Immediate Release

David Brandstetter
SDG Software
905.477.8700 ext 230
dbrandstetter@stirlingdouglas.com

Ronald Margulis
RAM Communications
908.232.3230

Belk Inc. chooses SDG Software To Enhance Business Impact of Forecasting

Largest privately-owned department store chain in

USA to use IBM platform to support SDG

Chicago April 17, 2000- Belk, Inc., the Charlotte, NC-based department store chain, announced that it has chosen Stirling Douglas Group (SDG), world leader in consumer demand forecasting systems, to provide the company with a series of retail solutions. Belk is implementing SDG with IBM DB2 Universal Database to cover forecasting, replenishment and business intelligence.

Belk, which will be going live with its new systems this summer, selected the SDG PROMPT and AIMM solutions because the retailer’s executives understand the impact forecasting has on their business. SDG’s system was selected because it is the most scaleable forecasting and replenishment tool available running on IBM’s DB2 Universal Database.

"We are looking to improve our sales by maximizing our in-store positions for core merchandise. SDG’s solutions will help us improve our service levels to our customers and that will keep them coming back to the store," explained Ann Duke, Vice President of Systems Development, Belk.

"We’re also trying to reduce the manual elements of our current systems, which require our business users to be in the system very frequently to set order maximums. The SDG applications will reduce that time and resource commitment by making the process more automated."

By using PROMPT and AIM, Belk is automating the forecasting and product replenishment activities throughout the enterprise. This will help reduce the retailer’s lead inventory investment, increase turns and enhance customer service levels.

"Retailers like Belk are currently facing the greatest competitive pressures in recent history, with traditional and web-based companies vying for the same customers. SDG’s solutions will help Belk retain existing customers and attract new ones by fully exploiting the business applications of forecasting," said Doug Cook, CEO of SDG.

About Belk, Inc.

Belk, Inc. owns and operates more than 200 department stores in 13 states in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. It is the nation's largest privately owned department store company. Belk employs approximately 22,000 people.

About Stirling Douglas Group

Stirling Douglas Group (SDG) is the world leader in SKU/Store Level consumer demand forecasting engines. Sixteen years of forecasting systems development on mainframe, client server and now web enabled, has made SDG’s PREDICT™ demand forecasting engine the world’s most accurate for baseline and promotion uplift. SDG’s expertise extends to forecast based replenishment, PROMPT™, and forecast based planning, MAPS™. All SDG software is platform independent.

Additional information on SDG can be found at our web site — www.stirlingdouglas.com.

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