Applix Rings up Business Intelligence Solutions for Consumer Products and Retail Industries

TM1's 'What-if' Analytics Helps Decision Makers Budget, Plan and Forecast More Strategically -- From Product Concept to Store Shelf

WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 28, 2003 -- Scores of companies in the consumer products and retail sectors have chosen solutions from Applix, Inc. (NASDAQ: APLX), a global provider of Business Intelligence (BI) and Business Performance Management (BPM) solutions to better manage and understand business drivers. Applix today announced that its continued success in consumer products and retail is due primarily to its ability to provide cost-efficient solutions tailored to this industry, all based on the strength of its online analytical processing (OLAP) engine, TM1, which provides a real-time view to corporate information.

Renowned for how easily it can be tailored to support a myriad of applications and business models, TM1 supports the delivery of consumer products to market, from product conception and manufacturing, to point of sale (POS) and delivery. These consumer products and retail-specific solutions include support for marketing campaigns, product profitability analysis, scenario planning for fluctuations in raw materials pricing, inventory management, price/volume analysis, sales analysis and forecasting, supply chain management and traditional budgeting, planning and reporting. For more information on how Applix TM1 improves decision-making in the consumer goods and retail sectors, see http://www.applix.com/retail.

In addition to drawing upon TM1's strength in providing solutions across the enterprise, consumer products manufacturers and retailers also use Applix solutions for their ability to respond immediately with answers to 'what-if' analytic questions, the familiar, well-developed Excel environment, minimal IT overhead, and lower total cost of ownership for real-time decision making. TM1's 'what-if' functionality allows product managers and retailers to work with their data and get immediate answers to their questions about possible trends, strategies and plans, especially useful in the fast moving world of consumer goods. They can then immediately understand the bottom-line impact of the fluctuations in the price of raw goods or surge in transportation costs and quickly respond to changes in product pricing.

"Applix's international roster of consumer products customers and retailers demonstrate the power of TM1-based solutions specifically for these industries," said David Menninger, vice president, marketing, of Applix. "These companies are dealing with unusually complex business models where they have to track hundreds of items. They are successful because they know their products, their company, and their market. When you are dealing with the seasonality, transitory nature and huge quantities inherent in the consumer products industry, even the pennies can add up quickly and make a huge difference in the end cost of a product. For example, careful management of inventory, whether in the factory or on the store shelf, can spell the difference between profitability and failure."

Menninger continued, "TM1-based solutions provide the strategic planning, analysis, reporting and performance management tools needed to maintain a presence in a very competitive, price-sensitive industry."

Leading consumer products companies and retailers who rely on Applix solutions include: A&P, Australian Geographic, Big W (Woolworths), Candie's, Coles Myer Limited, Cussons, David Jones, Delta Apparel, Eddie Bauer GmbH & Co, Gerber Childrenswear, Inc. , Guinness Brewing Company, Happy Size Company, Heineken, Honey Baked Ham, Ikea, Jewsons (http://www.applix.com/Jewsons), Joseph Witt GmbH, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc., Littlewoods (http://www.applix.com/Littlewoods), Liquorland (Woolworths), Lowe's, Matthews Foods, Playcore, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Quelle Schickedanz AG & Co., Sara Lee Coffee & Tea, Sarah Lee Intimate Apparel, Schwab Versand GmbH, Seiko Instruments, Smart & Final, Snapple, The Bombay Company, Threshers (http://www.applix.com/Thresher), Winners Merchants, Young's Markets, and Zapf Creation AG.

The Threshers Group, the UK's leading independent specialist drinks retailer, uses Applix solutions. Dominic Wyer-Roberts, Finance Systems Manager of Threshers, said, "Prior to the implementation of TM1 all budgeting and forecasting at Threshers was being undertaken on complex, bulky spreadsheets. Entering and maintaining data was cumbersome and time-intensive for the team. Now, using TM1, staff who had previously been engaged in simply entering data into spreadsheets are free to analyze the information, spot trends and thus help determine Thresher's forward looking business strategy."

About Applix

Applix (NASDAQ: APLX) is a global provider of Business Intelligence and Business Performance Management solutions. These solutions enable the continuous management and monitoring of performance across the financial, operational, customer and organizational functions within the enterprise. More than 1,700 customers worldwide user Applix's adaptable, scalable and real-time solutions, delivered by Applix and by a global network of partners, to manage their business performance and respond to the marketplace in real-time. Headquartered in Westborough, MA, Applix maintains offices in four countries in Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim. For more information about Applix, please visit www.applix.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this document are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements concerning future plans or results are only estimates and actual results could differ materially from expectations. Certain factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include without limitation, competitive pressures, changes in customer demands, adverse economic conditions, loss of key personnel, litigation, potential fluctuations in quarterly results, lengthy sales cycles, market acceptance of new or enhanced products and services, factors affecting spending by customers and other risks, uncertainties and factors including those described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 under the heading "Risk Factors" and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the heading "Factors That May Affect Future Results." The forward-looking statements provided by the Company in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this release. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, and these forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this release.

(C)2003 Applix, Inc. All rights reserved. Applix and TM1 are registered trademarks of Applix, Inc. All other trademarks and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

  
Contacts  
 
Applix, Inc.
Charlotte Locke, 508-870-0300 x244
clocke@applix.com
or
SparkSource, Inc.
Kelley Kassa or Roberta Carlton
781-274-6061 x206 or x210
kkassa@sparksource.com
rcarlton@sparksource.com