OLR Leads Payless Shoes Upgrade to Oracle Retail v13; Australia's Largest Independent Shoe Retailer Is the First Retailer Live on v13 in Australia

SYDNEY, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- OLR, a global pioneer and leading innovator in implementing and upgrading retail systems, is pleased to announce the go-live of Payless Shoes on Oracle Retail v13. OLR led a combined project team resulting in the successful upgrade of Payless Shoes from Retek v9.

OLR's proven upgrade methodology and toolsets allowed Payless to deliver the system in twenty-nine weeks without disruption to the business. Payless selected to upgrade their Retek applications to Oracle Retail v13 Merchandising (RMS), Pricing (RPM), Sales Audit (ReSA), and Allocations (Alloc) in order to take advantage of the scalable, fully integrated application set and best practice functionality available in Oracle's most current version. Further, in order to support corporate governance and risk management objectives it was imperative for Payless to be on a merchandise platform supported by the software manufacturer.

"We selected OLR to lead and guide our project because we found them to be a trusted partner that could take us down the path of upgrading our merchandising platform in a manner that significantly reduced our risk profile while also achieving the rapid implementation we desired. OLR's deep experience and investment in its Oracle Retail practice allowed us to take a renewed look at this upgrade project that previously seemed too risky, too long, and too costly. We are now live on v13 and could not have accomplished this without OLR's thought leadership and execution," said Payless Shoes' IT Manager, Kerry Smith.

"We are delighted to have played such a significant role in bringing one of the first v9 to v13 upgrades live in the Oracle Retail community. Payless' corporate commitments to risk reduction and innovation created great synergy with our team's strengths in developing innovative toolsets and utilities to make project tasks predictable. We congratulate Payless on being first in Australia and for their commitment to the success of this upgrade," said Ken Wehr, CEO and President of OLR.

With the expiration of support for v9 Retek and the upcoming support expiration of Retek v10, many retailers will be looking to establish a supported merchandising platform to fuel growth and reduce overall cost structures. Retailers can benefit not only from the improved integration capabilities of Oracle's most current version but also from the improved performance and scalability offered by Oracle Retail. OLR is a leading innovator in creating re-usable solutions that reduce upgrade project duration and risk.

About Payless Shoes

Payless Shoes is Australia's largest independent shoe retailer offering men, women, and kids great quality and the best prices for over 28 years. Payless has been an innovator in the market by offering a unique shopping experience through a self service model that improves the level of convenience for their customers. For more information, visit www.PaylessShoes.com.au

About OLR

OLR is an award-winning global Retail Solutions specialist with over 10 years experience delivering results from the Oracle® Retail (Retek) suite. Founded in 1998, OLR has grown internationally, with offices in Australia, North America and the United Kingdom servicing over 25 countries worldwide. OLR's global team provides retailers Implementation and Upgrades, Support, and Managed Application Services. For more information, visit www.OLRretail.com

SOURCE OLR