SPAR Switzerland to rely on Dacos' software solutions

The retail company will base its price policies on artificial intelligence and econometric models. Dacos is successfully expanding in Switzerland

Saarbrücken, 21.02.2008 — Optimising prices and boosting earnings at the same time – SPAR Management AG in Switzerland will rely on the solutions of Dacos Software to achieve these goals in the future. "Price optimisation is an important subject to us. How can we set the best prices for our products to get the best possible margins?" said Paul Eggenschwiler, head of procurement at SPAR Management AG. "In Dacos' Price Engine, we have finally found the solution that is based on the very latest scientific findings and delivers reliable results to us." The partnership is beginning immediately. Once the preliminary project is completed, the roll-out is scheduled to start in the middle of the year. The SPAR Group Switzerland operates 161 supermarkets in Switzerland and employs 1,000 people. In 2007, the supermarkets generated turnover of 900 million Swiss francs.

Following the German retail companies dm-drogerie markt, tegut, Globus and Ihr Platz, SPAR has become the first Swiss retail company to select Dacos~ software solutions. With its entry into Switzerland, Dacos is extending its market leadership in German-speaking regions. To develop the Retail Simulation Engine, the Saarland-based company worked closely with the German Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the Institute for Commerce and International Marketing, and the University of Saarland. The software solution makes it possible to determine and simulate consumer behaviour models. These models consist of various modules, including the Price Engine. This Price Engine enables the user to optimally set prices within a product group both in terms of customer needs and in terms of the user~s own earnings and price margins. In addition, competitor prices can be integrated into the application cockpit of the Price Engine to provide a strong underpinning for price decisions. The Price Engine can access all established data warehouses and databases (including Oracle and IBM DB2). It is also certified for SAP Netweaver and, as a result, can be directly coupled to the SAP Business Warehouse.