Oostkamp, June 17th, 2011: Centric has formed a collaboration with MeteoGroup to provide real time weather data for their intranet solution, StoreWorld IntraStore.  StoreWorld IntraStore, a web-based platform for streamlined communication between Centric’s HQ and branches, has embedded the online weather forecast into the intranet system to enable retailers to improve staff planning and to optimize product availability and stock planning.

Wim Vandenbussche, Product and Partner Manager at Centric Belgium comments:  “The impact on  sales and number of customers in stores, as well as what product range is being sold,  is very much related to what kind of weather it is, or will be. Retailers also need to plan to have the appropriate number of staff in store at any one time to deal with the volume of customers. For example, when the forecast is for sun, we would expect fashion retailers to get a higher footfall, butchers to receive more BBQ orders, supermarkets to sell more ice cream and fizzy drinks, etc. Also, weather is very location-specific; on the coast the forecast may be quite different to in-land. That’s why location-based weather forecasts, based on post code, are a must for retailers.”

About StoreWorld IntraStore:

StoreWorld IntraStore, part of the StoreWorld Product Suite from Centric, is a web based intranet solution to streamline all communications between Headquarters, branches, departments,  region managers, etcetera.  StoreWorld IntraStore is a modular solution that consists of different components such as messaging (urgent/daily/weekly/monthly/…), agenda (reminders/tasks/delivery information/meetings/…), online planograms with store overviews, logistic information (delivery information/invoices/picking schedules/ordering confirmations/…), webshop orders, product and campaign information, campaign ordering, customer ordering, online phonebook and contact information, online manuals and procedures, online forms and questionnaires, integration with company mail servers, printing of labels (A2/A3/A4/A5/price labels/…), weather forecast, complete integrated eLearning / CBT solution, available as intranet and/or extranet.

StoreWorld IntraStore is a proven solution, used by over 50.000 users, in more than 19 countries worldwide. It offers retailers an online collaboration platform for optimized communication.

About Centric Belgium:

Centric Belgium is part of the Centric Group – with 15.500 employees in ten countries - to which Oranjewoud and Finace also belong. Oranjewoud focuses on engineering, construction and consulting services, Finace concentrates on financial services.  The IT-company Centric Belgium serves some 1.000 clients from SMEs to multinationals. The four most important competencies are: IT services, management and optimisation of systems and infrastructures for large and medium-sized companies; IT professionals, suppliers of high level IT consultants; IT solutions, building of standard software for markets such as construction, retail and supply chain.

www.Centric.eu

About MeteoGroup:

MeteoGroup is Europe’s largest private sector weather business with a worldwide customer base and operations in ten European countries and the USA.

It is a full-service weather business supplying tailored products to professional, media and consumer markets. Founded in 1986, the company has an unrivalled reputation for quality and innovation in weather forecasting.

Expert meteorologists provide forecasts, support, monitoring and consultancy services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition, a dedicated weather modeling team continuously develop MeteoGroup’s in-house systems and forecasting techniques.

The Group is owned by the Press Association, the national news agency for the UK and Ireland.  Offices are located in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA.

www.meteogroup.com