Swindon, UK, 6 February 2009Stibo Systems, a leading global provider of product information management (PIM) and master data management (MDM) solutions, today announced that Thomas Cook Netherlands, part of Thomas Cook Group plc, has selected the Stibo Systems STEP platform to centralize product information for a number of its brands in Holland, Belgium and France, and to streamline the use of product information for both its printed and web marketing channels.
Today the parameters upon which clients choose their holiday experience has exploded compared to only five years ago. To be successful in the market, Thomas Cook Group plc had to find an efficient way to attract the market’s attention and to convert this into high volume sales. Efficient content management is a means to meeting this objective. The implementation of the STEP platform with developments to meet their specific needs, especially in the level of automation in design orientated pages contributes significantly to the realization of this goal.
STEP will feed content to a number of Thomas Cook Group plc brands’ brochures such as Neckermann, Pegase and Vrij Uit, as well as their respective web sites, helping to ensure data accuracy and consistency, and providing additional up-sell and cross-sell opportunities to its customers.
”For us, the great benefit we see in using STEP is the fact that it addresses our need for efficient multi-media publishing with a proven solution that still allows the flexibility we require in configuration” explains Gert de Caluwe, CEO Thomas Cook Netherlands. “It is crucial that the traditional print publications come out of the system perfectly, but just as important is the need for a future proof solution.”
“The selection of STEP by Thomas Cook UK, followed by Thomas Cook Netherlands, France and Belgium as well as other leading travel providers shows that the STEP application is flexible enough to meet the tremendous demands and variable requirements of the travel market” says Roger Twigg, Sales Director for Stibo Systems Limited. “This important relationship with Thomas Cook Netherlands demonstrates Stibo’s continued strength in the travel sector, where companies are looking to address both online and offline sales with a more consistent message and less duplication of resource.”
“We are proud to have a company such as Thomas Cook Group plc choose us for this important role in their business”, says Mikael Lyngsø, CEO of Stibo Systems. “Managing product information in an efficient way is critical for companies looking to grow their business and to reduce their costs, and we look forward to assisting Thomas Cook Netherlands in these endeavors.”
About Thomas Cook Group plc
Thomas Cook Group plc was formed in 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group plc The new company is one of the world's leading leisure travel groups with sales of around £9 billion, 19 million customers, 30,000 employees, a fleet of 97 aircraft, a network of over 3,000 owned or franchised travel stores and a number of hotels and resort properties.
With a portfolio of market-leading travel brands across Europe and North America, the Thomas Cook Group plc is committed to providing the best quality products and services to our customers, and continuing to deliver shareholder value.
The Group operates in 17 source markets: the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Canada, India and Egypt.
About the STEP master data platform
STEP is a critical component for companies that are improving their business processes by pursuing a master data strategy. STEP enables businesses to efficiently aggregate raw master data from partners and disparate sources in a central repository; enrich and manage the data; make consistent data seamlessly available throughout the enterprise; and quickly deliver approved data throughout the product lifecycle — from procurement to multiple sales and support channels. Industry-leading language management and versioning capabilities make STEP an optimal solution for global manufacturers, distributors, retailers and service organizations.
About Stibo Systems
Stibo Systems (www.stibosystems.com) helps companies of all sizes manage master data to reduce costs, improve time to market and comply with regulatory requirements by providing solutions to gather, manage and share product information efficiently. With global operations in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Denmark, India and Singapore, it is part of the privately held Stibo A/S group of companies. Stibo Systems’ customers include travel and tour operators such as Thomas Cook, Group RCI, SAGA and Trafalgar Travel; as well as leading leading organizations such as GE, Premier Farnell, Siemens, RS Components, Millipore, Conrad Electronic, Patterson Companies, MSC Industrial Supply Company, Figleaves.com, Harbor Freight Tools and many others.
