RFID inspired solution conquers the last 100 feet of the retail supply chain

OCTOBER 11, 2007 - Troy, MI: October 9, 2007 Handleman Company, (NYSE: HDL) http://www.handleman.com, an innovator and leading distributor of home entertainment products to major retailers will demonstrate how the use of RFID can solve the last 100 feet from the retailers’ back room to its’ store shelf. This is critical for the success of product promotions, new product launches and store merchandising.

“Nirvana for the retail supply chain is having the right quantity of a product, on the right shelf, at the right time and at the right price. Three groups benefit when that happens: Consumers, Retailers, and Suppliers,” states Khaled Haram, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Handleman Company.

Handleman’s core competencies include category management, forward/reverse logistics and product merchandising. In 2005 Handleman acquired REPS, a supplier of in-store merchandising services to over 70,000 retail outlets in the United States. In 2006 REPS participated in the launch of a new razor for a multi-billion dollar consumer products company. A critical element of the product launch was ensuring that the timing of product availability and visibility in stores matched the media advertising. REPS worked with the supplier to make sure each display was moved from the retailers’ back room to the proper store location and available to consumers at the proper time.

“Handleman has solved the last 100 feet, it’s that simple,” states Kevin Kail, CEO, epcSolutions. “Further, they have 3,000 merchandising experts, mature merchandising processes and technology that can increase sales, decrease out-of-stocks and minimize overstocks. Handleman provides a consistent merchandising model for all United States, United Kingdom and Canadian retailers,” continues Kail.

Handleman and epcSolutions saw an opportunity to combine their existing core competencies, together with RFID, to provide retailers and suppliers with increased visibility for the last 100 feet of the retail supply chain. The combined offering, known as “Tag it, Ship it, Find it, Merchandise it, Return it”™ is a solution that uses existing Handleman technology, epcSolutions RFID software and solutions, as well as the existing in-store merchandisers to provide a real solution.

“We partnered with epcSolutions based on their knowledge and expertise with RFID. They have the largest installed base of RFID enabled Wal*Mart Suppliers,” states Khaled Haram.

Join Handleman and epcSolutions as they discuss this breakthrough technology on October 18th at 11:00 am ET during a free webinar that is open to all. This webinar will feature keynote speakers Khaled Haram and Kevin Kail. We encourage you to register today for this exciting and informative webinar.

Click https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/382040158 to reserve your space.


About Handleman Company
Handleman Company is a category manager and distributor of prerecorded music and console video game hardware, software and accessories to leading retailers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. As a category manager, the Company manages a broad assortment of titles to optimize sales and inventory productivity in retail stores. Services offered include product selection, direct-to-store shipments, marketing and in-store merchandising.

About epcSolutions
epcSolutions, Inc. is the leading provider of RFID compliance software to the Wal*Mart and DoD supplier community. epcSolutions’ GS1Net3 application suite implements the GS1 System, a series of standards designed to improve supply chain management. The GS1 System includes: BarCodes - Numbering and bar coding; eCom - EDI (Electronic Data Interchange); Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) - data synchronization; EPCglobal - RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). The “Any Asset, One Network” application suite allows users to manage all four asset types found in a typical business: Work in Process, Finished Goods/Inventory, Fixed Assets and People. Visit www.epcsolutions.com or www.tetragate.com



Contact Information:
epcSolutions
Kim Simonalle
10510 Beach Mill Road
Great Falls, VA 22066
703-757-4470
k.simonalle@epcsolutions.com

Handleman Company
Khaled Haram
500 Kirts Blvd.
Troy, MI 48084
248-362-4400
khaled.haram@handleman.com

###