CALGARY – July 18, 2012 – Esri Canada today announced that Calgary Co-op, one of the largest retail co-operatives in North America, will leverage the Esri Business Analyst (Canadian Edition) solution to improve strategic planning. Powered by Esri's geographic information system (GIS) technology combined with extensive demographic and segmentation information, the solution will enable the retailer to efficiently map their stores, integrate their in-house business data and visually analyze their future operations.

“We wanted to be able to use transaction information to better understand where we're going in the market and where we're successful with different business strategies,” said Dallas Wingerak, vice president, Facilities, Development and Real Estate, Calgary Co-op. “Business Analyst allows us to combine customer data with demographic and geographic information, helping us to better analyze capital investment.”

“Location analytics improves all aspects of a retail business, from site selection to market segmentation and targeting promotions,” noted Alex Miller, president, Esri Canada. “It provides rich context to business data and reveals where retailers should focus their efforts and resources to increase sales. Retailers can then use this enhanced business intelligence to refine strategies and gain an advantage over their competitors.”

Calgary Co-op selected Esri Business Analyst (Canadian Edition) over other business analysis solutions because it provides robust capabilities for integrating and analyzing large amounts of geographic information including point-of-sale (POS) and member data. It is easy to deploy and seamlessly integrates with the organization's IT infrastructure. Business users have also found the solution interface more intuitive than those of other software, as well as easy to use even if they do not have prior GIS knowledge.

Esri Business Analyst (Canadian Edition) is a desktop GIS solution that comes with extensive demographic, business and shopping centre information from Canada's top data providers. Businesses can combine this data with their own customer data to discover untapped markets. The solution also allows them to analyze drive times, spending habits and customer locations relative to their stores and study market saturation to effectively design and balance sales territories. An online version of the solution will be available soon. For more information, visit esri.ca/products/businessanalystdesktop.

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About Calgary Co-op
Calgary Co-op is one of the largest retail co-operatives in North America. With over 440,000 members, 3,400 employees, assets of $441 million and annual sales over $1 billion, Calgary Co-op is committed to lead in food, petroleum, home health care, pharmacy and travel. Investing over $3 million into the Alberta community, Calgary Co-op supports numerous not-for-profit and charitable organizations within the province. For more information, visit calgarycoop.com.

About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission-critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography. The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from Esri, Telvent, Cityworks – Azteca Systems, Inc. and other technology partners. Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada and has been named as one of the Top 250 Canadian IT Companies and Top 25 IT Professional Services Providers in Canada by the Branham Group, as well as one of Computer Dealer News' Top 100 IT Solution Providers in Canada. Information about Esri Canada can be found at esri.ca.