NEW YORK (SAVVIS Communications) - Demonstrating its growing presence in the retail industry, SAVVIS Communications, a leading global IT utility, today announced that Virgin Entertainment Group, the pre-eminent specialty music and entertainment retailer, has chosen SAVVIS' managed utility network services to link its corporate headquarters and data center to Virgin Megastores throughout the United States.
Virgin Entertainment selected SAVVIS' network services to connect its U.S. corporate and retail operations rather than staying with the incumbent provider. SAVVIS' managed network services will support key applications such as Virgin's point-of-sale system, credit card transactions, inventory, ATM transactions, and industry-leading in-store multimedia applications.
This announcement comes on the heels of the launch of SAVVIS Retail Avenue(SM), a broad set of solutions engineered specifically to address the retail industry's unique IT needs. These services are designed to support the management and protection of digital brand assets; enhance customer service capabilities; provide a strong foundation for retail e-commerce strategies; provide IT infrastructure utility solutions and assist with training and distance learning initiatives.
SAVVIS currently serves more than 400 customers in the retail industry worldwide including names like Albertson's, Ann Taylor, Gucci, Montblanc, JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, and The Mills Corp. These and other retailers rely upon SAVVIS to deliver outsourced IT services that provide significant savings over internal solutions and over other traditional outsourcing models.
"We needed to replace our former network and put in place a system that could handle the new multimedia retail applications Virgin is adding," said Virgin Entertainment's Glen Ward, CEO, Virgin Entertainment Group, North America. "Virgin has a reputation for being cutting-edge and the first in marketing and customer experience enhancement concepts. With SAVVIS, our new network helps us to maintain that reputation."
Virgin is leading the retail industry by developing cutting-edge retail concepts and powerful new applications. As an enhancement to the overall shopping experience of its customers, Virgin is focused on increasing interaction in its in-store environments and is investing in new retail applications such as music and video kiosks, as well as video content distribution, that are supported by its upgrade to the SAVVIS network.
"To maintain its leadership position in the retail industry, Virgin Entertainment needed to find powerful IT solutions tailored to their industry needs at price points they could afford," said SAVVIS President & COO Jack Finlayson. "SAVVIS' network solutions support Virgin's advanced new applications and can cut costs by more than 50 percent.
SAVVIS offers the right combination of services, retail industry experience, and global reach needed to meet the infrastructure needs of innovative multimedia-focused retailers like Virgin."
