BDO Seidman, LLP, and GERS Retail Systems Form Strategic Alliance

Furniture World Magazine

BDO Seidman, LLP, and GERS Retail Systems announced a strategic alliance whereby BDO will deliver implementation services for the full retail suite of GERS business management solutions. BDO Seidman provides consulting services to growing businesses and high-growth divisions of Fortune 1000 companies. GERS provides information management software, hardware, and service solutions for the retail and direct marketing industries worldwide. BDO Seidman will implement the GERS e-Commerce Solution, a complete front to back-end e-Commerce management solutions; Enterprise1, an integrated business processing solution that automates merchandising, distribution and financial requirements for the retail demand chain while helping to reduce costs; and RetailAnalyst, an analytic business solution for retailers looking for help in producing a smarter, more competitive organization through better business decision making across the enterprise. BDO will also implement GERS software solutions in the areas of Point-of-Sale, direct marketing, workflow automation, merchandising management, and distribution center management. "GERS offers some of the industry's most comprehensive and cost-effective retail management systems available," said Ron Marinella, BDO Seidman Executive Director of Business and Technology Solutions. "With e-business set to reach $1 trillion by the year 2003, retailers and direct marketers are scrambling to build the most sophisticated and flexible business environments available. This alliance allows fast-growing organizations to build and implement leading-edge tools and solutions to help them succeed in today's marketplace." In this new relationship, BDO and GERS have already collaborated with leaders in the retail and home furnishings industries. "We are confident that BDO will be able to assist us in implementing the GERS software solution for growing retail enterprises," said Don VanderBeke, Executive Vice President of marketing for GERS. "Our new relationship with BDO enhances our ability to provide retailers with breakthrough solutions far in advance of the general marketplace." Additionally, BDO Seidman's Paul Butler, Director of BDO's Business and Technology Solutions Western Region, will be speaking on the topic of e-Commerce at the GERS International User Conference, "Retail World '99 – Link to the Future," held August 25 – 28, 1999 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown San Diego. About BDO Seidman, LLP: BDO Seidman, LLP, accountants and consultants since 1910, is dedicated to maximizing the value of growing businesses by providing a full range of professional services. Through its Business and Technology Solutions consulting practice, BDO leverages innovative technologies and software applications to deliver solutions that can be sustained and adapted to address evolving client needs. The tangible result is an innovative and practical solution designed to help provide clients with profitable, long-term competitive advantage to grow their business. Consulting services offered include business process improvement, customer relationship management, e-business, packaged software implementations and technology infrastructure services. BDO Seidman serves clients through more than 40 offices and 60 alliance firm locations across the United States. As a member firm of BDO International, BDO Seidman leverages a global network of resources to serve clients abroad through more than 500 member firm offices in over 85 countries. About GERS Retail Systems: Built upon an Oracle relational database to maximize flexibility, data access, and high growth, the GERS Retail Suite of products is a comprehensive business management system designed to maximize employee and inventory efficiency. For more than 25 years, San Diego-based GERS Retail Systems has provided fully-integrated, Open Systems computer solutions software, hardware, and comprehensive training for direct marketing operations, including catalog and internet marketers; as well as retailers of softlines, hardlines, department stores, home furnishings retailers, and consumer electronics/wireless retail operations.