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Putting It All Together

8/1/2008

Increasingly, chain retailers are looking to consolidate their real estate, facilities, operations and project-management systems and processes onto a single platform. George Ahn, president and CEO of TRIRIGA, a leader in integrated workplace-management systems, discussed the advantages that come with this type of consolidated solution with Chain Store Age editor Marianne Wilson.

#b#What is integrated workplace management? 

A traditional integrated workplace management system (IWMS) is a software suite that brings together real estate, construction/project management, and store facility management into a single, Web-based platform. Today’s market-leading solutions take this one step further to provide an environmental sustainability component. IWMS delivers retailers what they need to manage real estate performance more efficiently and effectively, across all aspects of the real estate life-cycle—operational, financial and environmental.

#b#Why should a retailer implement an IWMS system? 

According to AMR Research, more than 65% of retailers rely on disparate databases and inadequate systems, such as Microsoft Excel, that lack the information and tools necessary to align real estate strategy with overall operational, financial and environmental goals. Multiple disparate systems and disjointed silos of information make it difficult, if not impossible, for retailers to accurately report real estate performance measurements, such as store counts and sales per area to the financial markets.

By implementing an IWMS specifically designed to meet the needs of retailers, retailers have a complete solution—a 360 view of their business in one place—to improve all aspects of their retail operations from increased financial return to reduced environmental impact.

#b#What sets TRIRIGA’S IWMS solutions apart in the market? 

TRIRIGA for Retail marks a significant turning point in real estate strategy because it shifts the focus from point solutions that support administrative functions to one that manages operational, financial and environmental performance across all retail locations in a single, integrated Web-based application.

#b#What are the most important benefits of TRIRIGA’S IWMS in terms of ROI? 

TRIRIGA’s IWMS combines the top three retail real estate disciplines to improve real estate performance—increased revenues from better sites and accelerated store development, and reduced operating expenses and environmental impact—within one solution. With a comprehensive view of their retail business, customers see measurable financial benefits within just weeks.

For example, our customers see a 12% average reduction of construction cycle times and a 3% average reduction of operating expenses. Beyond that, our solution delivers a cornerstone of our customers’ environmental sustainability strategies: Our customers measure, manage and reduce all energy, waste and other environmental impacts and expenditures.

#b#Is TRIRIGA for Retail easy to use? 

The beauty of TRIRIGA for Retail is that it is a 100% Web-based application—the system is user-friendly with an interface that’s intuitive and similar to Web programs retailers are already comfortable using. TRIRIGA includes pre-defined market-leading retail processes, metrics and best practices that help customers get TRIRIGA for Retail up and running in just three to six months. And with TRIRIGA’s comprehensive training and community of users and user support staff, customers are supported all along the way. We also made sure that TRIRIGA’s architecture supports all the leading databases, application and Web servers in the industry so customers can rely on the hardware configurations that work best for them. Whether you’re a zero-footprint business in need of a hosted model or a large enterprise in need of full-scale implementations, TRIRIGA finds a deployment option that works best for you.

#b#Can TRIRIGA provide assistance in the area of environmental sustainability? 

Most definitely. Today’s retail executives must understand which successful business strategies driven by environmental considerations achieve lasting value. Strategies focused on the reduction of real estate’s environmental impact represent the greatest opportunity to increase brand value. TRIRIGA Real Estate Environmental Sustainability (TREES), for example, measures environmental impact of retail locations, evaluates opportunities to manage environmental impacts, and includes pre-defined processes and practices to reduce the environmental impact of retail locations.

#b#Can TREES help a retailer with LEED certification? If so, how? 

Absolutely, TRIRIGA provides LEED for retail certification checklists as part of the TREES solution. It includes a robust project-management application integrated with the LEED for retail certification checklist to manage both the cost and tasks to complete LEED certification. These checklists include built-in LEED rating calculations.

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