Hot Topic Adds New Data Warehouse Capabilities Using GERS Retail Systems

GERS Retail Systems, a leading provider of business solutions for the retail industry, announced that Hot Topic, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOTT), a mall-based specialty retailer of music-licensed and music-influenced apparel, will use GERS Data Warehouse tools to further refine its decision-making ability and support continued sales growth.

Contact:   Saxon Rawlings
      800.854.2263, ext. 2571
      srawlings@gers.com

Hot Topic Adds New Data Warehouse Capabilities Using GERS Retail Systems
New Data Warehouse tools will enable specialty retailer to further refine merchandising decisions

SAN DIEGO (PRWEB) June 17, 2003 -- GERS Retail Systems, a leading provider of business solutions for the retail industry, announced that Hot Topic, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOTT), a mall-based specialty retailer of music-licensed and music-influenced apparel, will use GERS Data Warehouse tools to further refine its decision-making ability and support continued sales growth. Hot Topic will leverage the data mining tools of the Retail Data Warehouse embedded within Version 8 of GERS Enterprise1 merchandising application to store, manage, update, and distribute actionable information, thereby providing a complete picture of business performance.

We look forward to the new data warehousing features and the GERS Version 8 install to assist us in better managing the buying, planning, and allocation processes," said Alain Krakarian, VP of Planning and Allocation for Hot Topic.

As the foundation of GERS Enterprise1, the Retail Data Warehouse leverages industry standard Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) tools to facilitate efficient, accurate, and timely analysis of transaction data and multi-year historical performance. Built on an open, extensible Oracle 8i database, GERS Data Warehouse enables Hot Topic to evaluate the performance and profitability of all product categories, vendors, and assortments to deliver efficient, timely analytical capabilities to every decision-maker's desktop.

Hot Topic has boldly expanded with an aggressive growth plan," said Phil Kenney, Vice President of Marketing for GERS Retail Systems. For the past three years, our merchandising solutions have provided the backbone for Hot Topic. By implementing the Retail Data Warehouse decision-support capability, they will continue to be of one of the most responsive and fastest-growing retailers.

About Hot Topic
Hot Topic, Inc. is a national mall-based specialty retailer of music-licensed and music-influenced apparel, accessories and gift items for young men and women principally between the ages of 12 and 22. Torrid, the Company's second concept, is a mall-based specialty retailer of plus-sized fashion-forward apparel and accessories that targets young women principally between the ages of 15 and 29. The Company currently operates 439 Hot Topic stores in 49 states, 37 Torrid stores, and Internet stores at www.hottopic.com and www.torrid.com.

About GERS Retail Systems
With over 29 years of experience and 300 installations worldwide, GERS Retail Systems is a leading supplier of software solutions for the retail marketplace. The GERS Electronic Retail Enterprise includes mission-critical transaction management applications for multi-channel retailing, and provides fully integrated corporate office applications for merchandise replenishment and allocation, distribution center management, and financial control. Integral to the GERS solution set are Business Intelligence applications for predictive modeling and decision support, Merchandise Planning and Allocation tools for increasing returns on inventory investments, and Supply Chain solutions for streamlining communications and maximizing productivity across the enterprise. For more information, please visit www.gers.com.

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