Unique UK dataset enables location planners to identify the best – and worst - sites in the UK’s top retail centres
London – 1 August 2006 - MapInfo Corporation (Nasdaq: MAPS), the leading global provider of location intelligence solutions, today announces the launch of Retail PITCHPOINT, a unique dataset that measures the strength and weakness of the retail locations within the top 3,170 retail centres in the UK within a town centre, covered shopping centre or retail park.
Retail PITCHPOINT equips site planners with a valuable location intelligence tool to assist retailers in recognising the best pitch for the success of a store; this takes into account traditional measurements like vicinity of big brand retailers, building facades and store frontage along with in depth data unique to the 3,170 retail centres within the dataset.
Now available for the UK market, MapInfo Retail PITCHPOINT provides a quantitative measure of the strength or weakness of pitch locations within premium retail centres across the country, guiding property agents to the right micro locations and, when used in a predictive model, helping to explain the effect of a retail pitch on store performance.
The launch of MapInfo Retail PITCHPOINT will be of significant interest to high street retailers, convenience businesses, town centre planners, local authority planners and landlords with retail tenants looking to improve their understanding of micro location, in-store performance and retail centre planning.
Key features include a measure of retail pitch strength in the top 3,170 UK retail centres, the ranking of retail centres with a decile score of best and worst locations and the ability to create pitch heat maps of target locations and overlay of individual store networks.
Commenting on the benefits of MapInfo Retail PITCHPOINT, Stuart Hayes, Head of Network & Location Planning, Post Office Ltd, an early adopter of the dataset, said: “Retail PITCHPOINT helps Post Office Ltd. to identify which city centre branches are in the strongest and weakest locations in a retail centre. Using this classification of retail pitch really helps the business understand the context of “micro-retail location” and its influence on branch performance.”
When linked with company network plans, Retail PITCHPOINT can quickly identify which retail centres have enough critical retail mass to support any given store, and this insight can be used to guide agents and location planners to the retail pitches with the greatest potential for further investigations.
“With increasing pressure on national and global managers to make the right decisions, Retail PITCHPOINT can provide a competitive site profile of both a company’s stores and its competitors. This will ensure that any micro location effects are being measured against store performance and help companies to understand if pitch strength can explain their best and worst performers,” said Andy Thompson, director of analytical services, MapInfo EMEA.
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About MapInfo
MapInfo is a global company and the leading provider of Location Intelligence solutions, integrating software, data and services to provide greater value from location-based information and drive more insightful decisions for businesses and government organisations around the world. MapInfo solutions are available in 20 languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels in 60 countries. Headquartered in Troy, NY, MapInfo is on the World Wide Web at www.mapinfo.com. The company’s UK and European headquarters are in Windsor, UK (www.mapinfo.co.uk).
Of Note
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties. Any statement not a statement of historical fact is a forward-looking statement, including without limitation statements concerning demand for and benefits of MapInfo products and integration of MapInfo products with existing solutions. Actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those factors contained in the Company’s most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the heading “Factors Affecting Future Performance.” MapInfo takes no responsibility to update any forward-looking statements.