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Charming Shoppes: Making Business Performance Management Fashionable (NASDAQ: CHRS)

Charming Shoppes’ goal was to effectively obtain information from disparate data systems and transform it into usable information for management reporting and analysis. To achieve this goal, a system was needed that would be easy to use and which could be implemented in the shortest timeframe possible without a great deal of IT involvement. The system that met these requirements was Outlooksoft CPM (Corporate Performance Management).

Breakaway Technologies added unique benefit to the Outlooksoft implementation with the integration between Charming Shoppes’ multiple general ledger systems (Lawson, Epicor) and CPM. Breakaway created a high-performance, easy to use, web based extraction, transformation and load (ETL) interface that seamlessly bridged the information flow between these systems. This gave the financial planning team full control over the highly complex processes that only IT was normally capable of administering.

Charming Shoppes manages 8,000+ unique accounts in their financial systems that required a number of sophisticated solutions to report their information consistently across all brands. Numerous data transformations were performed to obtain what would be considered a "best case scenario” given their data volumes. Now Charming Shoppes has a significantly simplified process for creating budgets, reporting and forecasting since there is no time devoted to uploading and consolidating information in the GL. All brands are using the same system and reporting format which has greatly enhanced their visibility to the operating performance of each brand and provides the ability to compare performance across specific line items.

A major Breakaway accomplishment is that Charming Shoppes’ CPM users now have the ability to drill through to GL and Accounts Payable transactions without having to separately access the GL. Additionally, users are able to access daily sales flashes and report images that provide enhanced communication and information flow for the management team. According to Janice Milley, Director of Corporate Budgeting, “Breakaway proved to be a technology partner that would undertake any tasks required to make the implementation happen as expeditiously as possible, and continues to be a supportive team member to us anytime that we need assistance.”

Over the past 4 years since the initial implementation, Charming Shoppes’ has yielded substantial return on investment on their Breakaway/Outlooksoft CPM solution. The net result: radically streamlined business processes, advanced analytic and planning capabilities, and unmatched visibility to the performance of their business.

About Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Charming Shoppes, Inc. is a leading women’s specialty apparel retailer in the United States , focusing primarily on plus-size women’s apparel through its three distinct brands: Lane Bryant ®, Fashion Bug ®, and Catherines Plus Sizes ®. With more than 2,200 retail stores nationwide, Charming Shoppes, Inc. celebrates the lives and fashion image of women wearing plus sizes with the very best service, fashion selection, value and fit. Charming Shoppes, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRS) was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit us at www.charmingshoppes.com.

About Breakaway Technologies, Inc.

Breakaway Technologies develops advanced business intelligence solutions and analytical capabilities that help a company's management team better manage operations. The firm implements business performance management software that enables a company to collect, access, report and model the enterprise more effectively. The firm works with companies ranging from those with a few locations to global players.