Online Information Service targets small businesses.

Press Release Summary:



LexisNexis AlaCarte! provides access to more than 20,000 sources of business, news, business public records, and government information, including top newspapers, magazines, and transcripts. Users can also look up company and industry reports, deed records, liens, zip demographics, state and federal legislation, and intellectual property. Simple or advanced searches can be performed. Site does not require subscription, and documents can be ordered on per-document basis.



Original Press Release:


LexisNexis Launches Information Service for Small Businesses and Independent Professionals


LexisNexis AlaCarte! Offers Free Searching of Its Extensive Data Library- Pay for Only the Information Retrieved, Providing a New Category of Users With Business Intelligence and Other High-Value Information

DAYTON, Ohio, November 30, 2004 - LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of legal, news, and business information services, today launched LexisNexis AlaCarte!, a new online service to address the information needs of the fast-growing small-to-medium sized business and independent professionals market.

The service, available via www.lexisnexis.com/alacartenow, provides access to more than 20,000 sources of business, news, business public records, and government information, including top newspapers, magazines and transcripts, company and industry reports, deed records, liens, zip demographics, state and federal legislation, and intellectual property. Consumers can log on and conduct a simple or advanced search free-of charge (users pay only for documents retrieved) through an easy-to-use interface. There is also a Hot Topic button that allows users to search on related topics, such as Iraq War or Terrorism.

"With LexisNexis AlaCarte! we have alleviated the frustration of having to sift through a lot of outdated, unrelated, or unreliable data on the Web," said Elizabeth Rector, senior vice president of Corporate and Federal Markets for LexisNexis. "We have shortened the distance from search to solution, which to a busy, working professional is priceless."

The site does not require a subscription, and documents can be ordered on a per-document basis by credit card through a secure site. Consumers will also gain access to legal information starting next year.

Barbara Barclay, vice president of New Channels for LexisNexis Corporate and Federal Markets, said new users will benefit.

"We developed LexisNexis AlaCarte! with flexible pricing that does not require subscription fees or other start-up costs," Barclay said. "This service levels the business intelligence playing field for small businesses that often compete with larger firms that can support in-house research staff. LexisNexis AlaCarte! empowers them to retrieve the information, how and when they need it."

LexisNexis is known for its premium services tailored to the Fortune 500 companies, and now this new service is being offered to a new market of independent professionals and small-to-medium sized business owners. A soft job market over the last few years has resulted in more individuals pursuing freelance careers, start-up businesses or securing short-term engagements with large companies as independent consultants or temporary staff. According to the Small Business Administration, over 579,000 businesses were started last year, and self-employment increased by 3.7 percent.

This announcement, which follows recent strategic announcements made by the company, demonstrates that LexisNexis is moving beyond traditional research by improving customer access to information. Most recently, LexisNexis announced an alliance with Research in Motion (RIM), the manufacturers of the BlackBerry handheld, to deliver access to content for users of the mobile device. LexisNexis also recently joined forces with Biz360 and Cymfony to provide up-to-the-minute market intelligence to help manage a company's reputation.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis® (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leader in comprehensive and authoritative legal, news and business information and tailored applications. A member of Reed Elsevier Group plc [NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK] (www.reedelsevier.com), the company does business in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide. In addition to its flagship Web-based Lexis® and Nexis® research services, the company includes some of the world's most respected legal publishers such as Martindale-Hubbell, Matthew Bender, Butterworths, JurisClasseur, Abeledo-Perrot and Orac.

LexisNexis offers an extensive range of products and customized tools that address job-specific and organization-wide information needs, driving productivity and confident decision-making.

LexisNexis is a registered trademark and LexisNexis AlaCarte! is a trademark of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. Other products and services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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