First Retail 6 Installation For Sofa Express and more!

Furniture World Magazine

CDS Solutions Group, an innovator in business and software solutions for the home furnishings industry, announced that the first Retail 6 system installation has been completed for Sofa Express and more! in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Hattiesburg store is a 30,000 square foot, full-line furniture store owned and operated by first time home furnishings retailers Bill Fox and Jim Hicks. The store’s location is about 100 miles north of Gulfport and two hours northwest of New Orleans. “This is our first deployment in a Sofa Express and more! licensee store,” reports CDS President and CEO Ren Baker. “And in the first few days of a soft-opening, we helped these great people ring nearly $20,000 in business. As they continue to get settled into their new store, we’ll be there to support them in utilizing the Retail 6 system to its fullest capacity.” Baker explains that CDS and Retail 6 are the recommended retail management solution for all Sofa Express & more! licensee stores. “We’re very excited about this wonderful opportunity and pleased with the real-time integration and technological advantages of vertical integration. The store concepts are built around providing customers with exactly what they want, custom made to their specifications, and delivered to their home quickly. With the data flows we’ve built, that promise is delivered in real-time, bringing customer service to a new level in the industry.” reports Baker. Retail 6 is a 100% Windows® based system, which provides retailers with an easy to use, cost effective retail management solution. Developed with the most sophisticated technology, this bundled solution provides software, hardware, network, security, and total system support 24/7/365. Retail 6 was designed exclusively for the home furnishings industry with leading-edge technology that allows a retailer to control all areas of the home furnishings retail environment. It is built to run on Microsoft ® Windows Server ®, Windows XP ® and Windows CE ®, and deployed exclusively on hardware from Dell ®, Cisco ®, Symbol ® and Nextel ®. CDS provided the Sofa Express & more! store with complete implementation and deployment services, including hardware, software, education, mentoring, and support. While Fox and Hicks have worked together for nearly 27 years, this store is their first retail venture. “We have already received more support and consulting than we expected,” reports Jim Hicks. “We also received a lot of good advice—advice that we have used. We just see CDS as a partner that will help us build our business through this location and possibly future locations.” Jim Hicks reports that CDS offered an opportunity to start up the business with a software and hardware package that’s “one of the best out there.” Partner Bill Fox explains that in their past business ventures they didn’t have a system of Retail 6’s caliber. “We’ve never had anything like this and we were in an industry where poor inventory control would just kill you. The furniture industry is no different. And the methods that Retail 6 brings to us in receiving inventory and tracking it -- It’s state of the art.” Baker explains that a key component of deployment is training the users so that the system is utilized correctly and completely. “Any time a person learns a new system or process, they want to feel confident that they have the skills they need to do it right the first time. And there’s two sides to building that confidence: classroom training and in-person mentoring. The classroom provides the basics, but it all comes together with mentoring -- because people learn at their own pace, not the pace of the instructor.” Pam Hicks, wife of co-owner Jim Hicks, who plays a key role in the store’s operations, reports that the staff finds the Retail 6 system very easy to use. “It’s very user friendly. I think when people are more comfortable with something and they don’t feel like they have to be so technical to understand it, it comes much easier. The main thing is, CDS made our people feel comfortable and confident that they could use the system, and made it simple and easy for anyone to adapt to. And I think that’ll be a part of our success.” Baker reports that several other Retail 6 deployments are scheduled throughout the next few months including Kornmeyers in Baton Rouge, LA; Brashears Furniture Company, Inc. in Berryville, Arkansas; and Johnny Janosik, Inc., in Laurel, Delaware. “I think the customers that have adopted Retail 6 are testament to the product’s design. Each of these outstanding companies are in growth mode – planning for their future - and they see how the Retail 6 design is perfectly suited to address their needs for technology both today and through the coming decade of change.” CDS Solutions Group was founded in the early ‘80s with a single focus — to build the software solutions that enable good home furnishings retailers to become great companies. Hundreds of installations later, CDS continues that tradition, putting together new programs that propel retailers to the next level of performance. Today, the company’s vision goes beyond simply building great software. The team at CDS has taken on the responsibility of leading the industry into the future. For additional information on CDS Solutions Group or its innovative new retail management system, Retail 6, call 888.309.8002 or visit www.cdsgroup.com.