OfficeMax Trusts SAP to Help Its Customers Do Their Best Work


Office Supply Retail Superstore Better Connects With Shoppers and Gears for Future Growth With SAP® for Retail Solution Portfolio and SAP® Business Suite Software

NEW YORK - Leading office supplies and services provider OfficeMax® (NYSE: OMX) has completed the first phase of upgrading its retail software managed by SAP AG (NYSE: SAP). When OfficeMax, an SAP customer since 2003, unveiled its five-year growth plan earlier this year, it became necessary to expand and upgrade its suite of business software. OfficeMax now maximizes its existing SAP investment by taking advantage of ongoing innovation without disruption delivered by SAP® solutions. This announcement was made at the National Retail Federation (NRF) 100th Annual Convention and Expo, being held January 9-12, 2011, at the Javits Convention Center in New York.

OfficeMax is served by more than 30,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and approximately 1,000 stores across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services, technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, midsize and small businesses.

OfficeMax had software solutions from multiple providers, making it impossible to gain a single, consolidated view of shoppers' demands. The company chose to take advantage of the most current offerings from the SAP® for Retail solution portfolio and SAP® Business Suite software. SAP solutions have given OfficeMax integrated enterprise applications that will support its growth plan and provide visibility into its shoppers' buying patterns so that the company can better understand and anticipate their needs.

"For a retailer of OfficeMax's size, SAP offered the most industry-rich solutions with the lowest total cost of ownership," said Randy Burdick, chief information officer, OfficeMax. "SAP enables our employees to spend less time on accounting and reporting, and more time on strategic business development."

Retailers Can Better Understand Their Business and Operate Efficiently and Profitably With SAP

With solutions that help drive profitable multichannel retailing, the SAP for Retail solution portfolio provides grocery, hardlines and softlines retailers with a means to better understand shoppers, outpace the competition and react quickly to market changes. The solutions reduce redundant systems, processes and errors, so employees can focus on opportunities that lead to growth.

SAP Business Suite Applications Provide a Foundation for Growth

SAP Business Suite applications perform essential, industry-specific and business-support processes with solutions that are designed to easily integrate with non-SAP software, maximizing a company's existing IT investments. Additionally, enhancement packages represent the new advances for SAP solutions. Delivered through a unique business software delivery model, they offer customers the ability to adapt new functionality without the disruption of system upgrades.

OfficeMax recently went live on the latest versions of SAP Business Suite software, including:

o SAP® ERP Financials solution provides OfficeMax with better control and
visibility into its accounting, financial reporting, performance
management and corporate governance.

o SAP® E-Recruiting application, part of the SAP® ERP Human Capital
Management solution, helps with the recruitment and hiring of the best
people quickly by speeding up the time-to-hire and tracking processes of
a global talent pool while reducing recruiting costs.

o Business intelligence (BI) solutions from the SAP® BusinessObjects(TM)
portfolio empower effective, informed decisions based on solid data and
analysis.

o SAP® Supply Chain Management application (SAP SCM) helps OfficeMax be
more effective and efficient by keeping the products customers want
readily available on store shelves while reducing the overall amount of
inventory.

In addition, OfficeMax is currently implementing the SAP® Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) application to maximize customer loyalty, reduce costs and boost revenue across all contact channels, as well as moving all master data to SAP.

"With SAP, retailers have the ability to better understand shoppers, anticipate their needs and shape the customer experience," said Bob McFarland, senior vice president and general manager, U.S. Retail Organization, SAP America. "With industry-rich, end-to-end processes, SAP delivers business solutions that provide a platform for growth, providing the transparency needed by retailers today as well as in the future, and enabling retailers of all sizes around the world to be best-run businesses."

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 105,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP." For more information, visit www.sap.com.

(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and related applications.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

SOURCE SAP AG

CONTACT:Andy Kendzie,+1-202-312-3919,andy.kendzie@sap.com, EST,orSAP Press Office,+49 (6227) 7-46315,CET;+1-610-661-3200, EST;press@sap.com,all of SAP AG;orJim Sarlo of Burson-Marsteller,+1-312-596-3525,jim.sarlo@bm.com, CST,for SAP AG

Web Site: www.sap.com

All Topics