Netherlands-Based Top Shop Holding Fuels Expansion and Operational Excellence With Supply Chain Execution Solutions From HighJump Software, a 3M Company

Direct Response TV Company Achieves Immediate Improvements in Inventory and Shipping Accuracy and Ability to Modify System In-House

Eden Prairie, MN (March 2, 2004)— HighJump Software, a 3M Company, the global leader in providing highly adaptable, best-of-breed supply chain execution solutions, today announced that Top Shop Holding has completed a successful system go-live. Top Shop is a group of home shopping companies including Tel Sell, TV-Select and Oké.TV. Top Shop selected HighJump’s Supply Chain Advantage solutions to manage high-volume, complex operations for thousands of constantly changing health, beauty, fitness and weight-loss products. With the go-live, Top Shop now leverages HighJump’s unique system adaptability and robust, standard functionality to accelerate and effectively manage expansion into Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and Portugal. As part of 3M, HighJump offers full support for customers such as Top Shop with multinational facilities and supply chain processes.

With the multilingual HighJump system, Top Shop has already achieved measurable increases in the accuracy of inventory and shipping activities. This has empowered dramatically improved facility productivity, enabling the staff to increase throughput in a way that effectively supports the fulfillment demands of its rapidly expanding international customer base. The HighJump system also interfaces seamlessly with Top Shop’s high-speed conveyor and sortation system to sort packages by destination country.

Top Shop’s decision to replace its homegrown solution with HighJump’s robust, adaptable solutions was based largely on the flexibility of the HighJump system. For Top Shop, moving into new markets has not only meant increased volumes, but also sudden changes in customer demands that require frequent system modifications. HighJump empowers Top Shop with the ability to carry out fast, in-house system changes to respond effectively to changing customer requirements—a key determinate of long-term competitive advantage.

"Effectively managing the complexities involved with introducing hundreds of new products into inventory each day would not have been possible with our old system. The implementation went extremely well, and our HighJump solutions have really opened new doors for us,” said Leo Hagebeek, project manager of Oké.TV. "Because our business is constantly changing, we need to be able to make changes quickly in-house. Our IT staff can now meet the needs of our dynamic business with simple, inexpensive system modifications and upgrades, which will help us achieve low total cost of ownership over the long term.”

“The successful go-live of Top Shop’s system is a strong testament to HighJump’s continued growth in both the retail and international markets,” said Chris Heim, president of HighJump Software. “Top Shop is leveraging HighJump’s solutions to achieve tremendous results in the face of continually changing and complex fulfillment requirements as well as rapid expansion.”

Tel Sell is the leading home shopping company in The Netherlands, with products like Bio Stabil, Reduce Fat Fast, Aerobed, AbSwing and RevoStyler. In The Netherlands alone Tel Sell has more than 140 hours of commercials on cable television. Customers can order by telephone or the Internet. Tel Sell was founded in 1993, celebrating its 10th Anniversary with rapid growth into a multi national company based in Almere, The Netherlands. Tel Sell has its own private offices with an in-house call center, customer service, television studio and warehouse. Many of its products are also sold through large retail channels and Tel Sell's own 24-hour television channel. The product assortment varies between fitness gear and beauty products to household equipment. The product selection is mainly made from international fairs. At the same time, trends are being watched closely to match products with current needs and wishes. Most products come from the USA, but products from Asia and Europe are being sold as well. Oké.TV is a new company within Top Shop Holding aiming at interactive home shopping through digital television channels.

About HighJump Software, a 3M Company

HighJump Software, a 3M Company, is the global leader in providing highly adaptable, best-of-breed supply chain execution solutions that streamline distribution from the point of source through consumption. HighJump’s tightly integrated solutions empower operational excellence in the warehouse and optimize the flow of inventory throughout the supply chain by facilitating collaboration with customers, suppliers and trading partners. These comprehensive solutions combine robust, standard functionality, a best practices-based implementation methodology, and a uniquely adaptable architecture that facilitates fast, cost-effective system modifications. The result: the industry’s lowest total cost of ownership for more than 700 satisfied customers worldwide. As part of the 3M family, HighJump leads the industry in financial strength and delivers on an unmatched commitment to innovation and quality. HighJump leverages these advantages to continually expand its solution footprint and empower operational excellence for domestic and multinational customers. For more information about HighJump, visit www.highjump.com.

HighJump Software and Supply Chain Advantage are trademarks of 3M.

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