Mark's Work Wearhouse selects Crystal Decisions to take pulse of sales at 300+ stores

Leading retail chain expects to drive sales with web-based access to sales and inventory data

PALO ALTO, CA, March 5, 2003 - Crystal Decisions, one of the world's leading information management software companies, today announced that Mark's Work Wearhouse Ltd. has chosen Crystal Decisions to deliver Web- based sales reporting to the retailer's 300 plus outlets. The company expects to improve its ability to respond to changing customer needs, drive sales, and reduce overall operating costs.

"We've always believed in the power of leading-edge technology to propel our business forward. Crystal Decisions' industry-proven enterprise reporting solution will provide us with a bird's-eye view of sales patterns in our stores across Canada right as they happen," said Robin Lynas, Chief Information Officer at Mark's Work Wearhouse. "By keeping a close watch on sales trending and inventory data at each store, we hope to drive sales by being more flexible and responsive to our customers' needs. We also expect to save inventory costs, improve our cash flow, and promote customer loyalty."

On-demand access to information directly from the store will help management keep a finger on the pulse of its business as the company moves through a period of aggressive growth-from 140 stores in Canada and $140 million in sales seven years ago, to 325 stores in Canada and over $500 million in sales. Future plans call for 450 stores by the end of 2006. The initial phase of the Crystal Decisions implementation will focus on 70 pilot stores, with eventual rollout to all stores anticipated by the end of summer 2003.

Crystal Enterprise 8.5, Crystal Reports 8.5 and compatible third-party products will be used in the Mark's Work Wearhouse implementation and will report against an IBM DB2 database. Crystal Decisions' solution will complement the retailer's advanced and recently installed point of sale system, Retek.

Commenting on the implementation, Bill Gibson, Chief Operating Officer for Crystal Decisions said: "We are excited about the many business benefits one of Canada's top retailers will achieve with their Crystal Decisions solution. The solution will integrate with their new point of sale architecture and effectively turn Mark's Work Wearhouse into up-to-the-minute learning organization. Management will now have the tools they need to monitor their business at all times, stay closer to customer buying patterns, and manage their product offerings accordingly."

About Mark's Work Wearhouse

Mark's Work Wearhouse Ltd. Operates 321 unisex apparel and footwear stores in Canada, and was acquired by Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited in February 2002.

About Crystal Decisions

Crystal Decisions, a privately held company, is one of the world's leading information management software companies with more than 12 million licenses shipped. Since 1984, Crystal Decisions has powered winning organizations with one of the fastest ways for employees, partners and customers to access the information they need to make the best decisions and ultimately reduce costs and increase productivity. The Crystal brand is among the most trusted names in enterprise reporting and more than 300 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) have standardized on Crystal Decisions solutions. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Crystal Decisions has more than 20 offices worldwide and can be found on the Internet at http://www.crystaldecisions.com.

Crystal Decisions, Crystal Reports, Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Analysis, Crystal Services, Crystal Care, Crystal Assist, Crystal Applications and Holos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Crystal Decisions, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

For More Information

For more information on Crystal Decisions technologies and services, phone 1-800-877-2340 (North America) or 1-604-681-3435 (International), or visit the Crystal Decisions Web site at http://www.crystaldecisions.com.