Ace Hardware, Reddy Ice, MTD Products, and Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust Tout Benefits of Business Weather Intelligence at Chicago Symposium

"Our clients did a wonderful job sharing the actual experiences and successes they have had applying weather intelligence to their business," said Scott Bernhardt, COO for Planalytics. "For those that attended the Symposium, I'm sure it was a real eye opener to hear firsthand accounts of how other companies are proactively addressing this challenge. The speakers gave many examples of how weather can be used on a day-to-day basis to take advantage of opportunities, minimize risks, and manage costs."

Ace Hardware's Director of Inventory Control, Paul Sikes, pointed out that, "We have been able to make weather part of the DNA and culture at Ace, so that when we talk about sales opportunity, sales risk and past performance, weather is now just a part of that." Sikes shared an example from '07-'08 winter season when Ace substantially increased inventories for snow removal products based on Planalytics' projections. "We made an extra $10 million in sales in a tough economy because we planned it and we bought it. We were able to service 91% on the hottest seasonal category I've seen in years at Ace because of the support of Planalytics and the actions we took off that information."

Terri Hulesch, Insight Analyst for MTD Products, noted that before turning to Planalytics the company had "wrangled with how to apply weather" to their outdoor power equipment business for years. Hulesch also noted that with the help of Planalytics, MTD is now "looking at weather-driven demand percentages" and incorporating them into their forecasting systems. "Knowing preseason where to anticipate demand is huge," said Hulesch.

Ben Key, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Reddy Ice remarked that the company is "100 percent weather-driven ... selling 70 percent of its product in four months." Capitalizing on the sales opportunities brought on by heat waves and severe weather such as hurricanes or tornados is critical for an ice producer in the Sunbelt states. "We need to be ready for that spike in our business," Key said. "We normally keep a two-day inventory. So the more we can frontload (our retailers) with information," the better equipped they are to handle the surge and have product when the demand is highest.

SFAFT is a non-profit organization that provides marketing support to Subway's franchised restaurants. Adam O'Hara, Manager of Reporting and Analytics for explained in his presentation how the company isolates weather's impact on sales through "a transaction-based model" specifically developed with Planalytics. "Our weather-driven demand number is tied directly to what percentage of our sales were up or down," O'Hara remarked. "You would be amazed at the correlation between how our volume performs and how the weather performs." Identifying the degree to which sales are impacted by weather enables SFAFT to better measure the effectiveness of advertising and to optimize the timing of programs going forward.

Recorded versions of these presentations can be requested by visiting http://www.planalytics.com.

About Planalytics Inc.

Planalytics Inc. (http://www.planalytics.com) is the singular global source of Business Weather Intelligence(R) -- the actionable information companies need to understand and optimize the impact of weather on their business. Weather is the most volatile of all external factors affecting business performance and Planalytics helps companies proactively manage this risk. Powered by an unparalleled database of weather's financial and volumetric impacts, proprietary modeling technologies and market-specific expertise, Planalytics' Business Weather Intelligence is essential to any company, in any industry, looking to effectively shape strategies, pinpoint opportunities and make more profitable decisions.

SOURCE Planalytics, Inc.

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