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Microsoft Offers New Integrated Retail Solution for Small-Business Retailers

Posted on: Thursday, 8 December 2005, 09:00 CST

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today made available an integrated solution for small-business retailers in the U.S., combining Microsoft(R) Office Small Business Accounting 2006 with Microsoft Point of Sale or Microsoft Retail Management System. This free software add-in allows retailers to transfer point-of-sale data, such as transactions and purchase orders, directly into their financial management software. In addition to dramatic time savings and the reduction of manual data entry, the key benefit to small-business retailers is the ability to manage cash flow more effectively, thus helping improve profitability.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )

"Whether managing transactions at a single store or a chain of stores with Microsoft Point of Sale or Microsoft Retail Management System, small-business owners and their accounting professionals now have an even simpler means of assessing their businesses' financial health in a single view through Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006," said Guy Gilbert, group product manager for Office at Microsoft. "This new integration furthers Microsoft's long-term commitment to meeting the needs of small businesses by fundamentally improving their productivity."

Smoothly connecting point-of-sale data with back-end accounting systems has been a persistent challenge for many small-business retailers who lack the IT budgets and resources of their larger competitors. Of the approximately 1.34 million U.S. retail companies, an estimated 99 percent have fewer than 10 stores, with 96 percent being single-store retailers, according to IHL Consulting Group Inc. With this software add-in, small-business retailers can utilize point-of-sale information to run financial reports, helping them manage their businesses more accurately and effectively.

"Microsoft Point of Sale has proved its worth countless times over in terms of saving us significant time and money in ringing up sales, inventory tracking and other processes," said Tracie Hiemstra, owner of Bella Rose Fine Gifts & Furnishings in Seattle. "Now that we can automatically integrate transactions and vendors into Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 without having to buy new software or hire an IT specialist, I'm counting on even greater savings that can go straight toward improving our business and growing our bottom line."

The software add-in was developed with EVT Solutions Inc. ( http://www.evtretail.com/ ), a Microsoft Certified Retail Management System Partner. It can be downloaded at no extra cost from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/possolutions/accounting .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

NOTE: Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com

Microsoft Corp.

CONTACT: Rapid Response Team of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide,+1-503-443-7070, or rrt@WaggenerEdstrom.com, for Microsoft Corp.

Web site: http://http//www.evtretail.com

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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