In June 2004, VCSTIMELESS, leading
software solutions provider to the speciality
retail sector, signed a partnership agreement for the commercialisation
and support of its leading retail software
solutions with Bedford
Technologies Ltd, a specialist management
solutions provider who sell and deploy software
solutions both locally in China and abroad. Bedford
Technologies, based in Hong-Kong,
Guangzhou (Canton) and Shanghai now sell and support
the VCSTIMELESS
solutions to local Chinese retailers and to Western
retail chains expanding into China.
Under the terms
of the agreement, Bedford Technologies has
translated the retail management solution, Colombus,
into Chinese and support existing European VCSTIMELESS
clients expanding into China.
The distribution agreement
with Bedford Technologies marked
the first step in VCSTIMELESS’ international
partner programme and is a major development in
its strategy to have a presence across China.
In order to break into this rapidly expanding
new market, currently growing at a rate of 15%,
VCSTIMELESS chose a partner who can offer recognised
expertise and experience in the speciality retail
IT sector, has a 100-strong team and an established
name in South East China.
In addition
to its retail software activity, Bedford
Technologies also designs management solutions
for textile companies (manufacturers and exporters)
and is a distributor of HR management solutions.
Some of its most prestigious clients include Ice-Fire,
Itokin, Onwards Kashiyama (textiles), FANCL (cosmetics),
Links of London, New Time Jewellery (jewellery),
Jing Mei Industrial Group & United Pacific
Industrial Group (production).
Michel Ramis, CEO
for VCSTIMELESS, comments, “Numerous
clients such as childrenswear retailer, Orchestra,
and ladieswear retailer, Anne Fontaine, have expanded
into China. We therefore needed a partner who shared
the same fundamental values of quality service
and client satisfaction. Bedford Technologies’ corporate
positioning, client base and development strategy
made it a perfect fit as a partner with whom we
could build a successful business relationship.”
Bedford Technologies selected VCSTIMELESS as a business partner for
a number of reasons: the suitability
of the multi-channel Colombus solution for the
Chinese retail market (a solution already selected
by more than 450 European clients), technological
leadership as an early adopter of the Microsoft
.Net platform and an ambitious strategy of international
development. Bedford Technologies saw an alliance
with VCSTIMELESS as an opportunity to expand and
enhance their product offering and to grow the
business by extending their target market.
Eddy
Yiu, Director of Bedford Technologies, comments, “One
of the key elements in our partnership with VCSTIMELESS
is our shared vision. We believe the time is right
to capitalise on the enormous potential in the
Chinese market by offering best in class retail
management solutions adapted to the business requirements
of retailers operating in China.”
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Michel
Ramis, concludes, “In
2002 we began a strategy of international development.
We opened offices across Europe and the US with
the objective that 25% of our turnover in 2004
would be generated by international operations.
Today,
the partnership with Bedford Technologies offers
us the possibility to become the leading software
solutions provider in China and to initiate business
in the Far East. According to provisional calculations,
the Chinese market could generate
between 20-30% of our global turnover within the
next four years.” |
