(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) PARSIPPANY, NJ, November 19 / MARKET WIRE/ --

The Vendor Compliance Federation (VCF) and
Trade Promotion Management Associates (TPMA), leading organizations
fostering retail-supplier trading synchronization, addressed the current
economy last week at their Annual Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. The event
hosted more than 400 attendees; 300 one-on-one, manufacturer-retail
customer meetings; and 80 industry leaders delivering more than 50 sessions
designed to help attendees understand and predict consumer behavior in a
volatile economy, streamline supply chain processes, and reduce financial
risk.

Consumer Optimism amid Economic Fears Provides Opportunities for Trading
Partners

A survey of 4,086 Americans immediately following the November 4 election
by BIGresearch revealed consumer sentiment contradictions amid the current
economic downturn. Keynote speaker and BIGresearch Solutions Officer Miles
David noted that 76 percent of respondents believe their personal financial
situation will stay the same or improve in the next six months, and that
85.2 percent of respondents either remain happy "with the way things are
going in their personal lives" or say there are both good days and bad
days. Contrasting with this is the sentiment that consumers (67.1 percent)
are focusing more on needs than wants when shopping: 58.3 percent said they
are more budget-conscious and 54.4 percent said they dine out less. More
than 50 percent are shopping for sales more often and are using coupons
more often.

David closed by saying that with effective collaboration and marketing, "we
can move the economy forward. It is up to us in marketing and business to
make the difference. Yes we can, as the phrase goes. We're going to get to
work and return to a great economy. That's what we do in this country in a
downturn, we market our way through. Yes we can."

Retailer and Suppliers Driving Business through Collaboration

Retailers and their manufacturers met face-to-face during 300 pre-arranged,
one-on-one meetings, addressing topics along the entire order-to-cash
cycle. "No other organization gives us the opportunity to meet with so
many of our customers in one location," says Lifetime Brands' Jerry
Glinnen. "In a single trip, we met with 10 retailers, resolved questions
on new initiatives and discussed future business. With the current
economic challenges that exist, attending this event made even greater
business sense."

As part of the conference, retailers and operators met together during a
designated retailer program. "As a retailer presenting to my industry
peers, I was excited to be a part of such a learned panel and enjoyed
working alongside fellow retailers to address common business issues," said
JCPenney's Anita Thompson. "I took away insights from my participation,
and from the questions asked by my peers -- and very much enjoyed the
entire process!" Retailers also had the opportunity to host sessions to
communicate 2009 initiatives to current and potential suppliers.
Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, QVC, Sears Holdings Corporation, and Lowe's
were among retailers who presented at individual sessions.

Leveraging the Power of POS Data

POS data is critical to planning since it provides a true picture of
demand. It allows companies to classify SKUs by performance and profile
demand for new items based upon key characteristics and attributes. Having
this added knowledge helps vendors become better strategic partners in
planning replenishment and allocation, in addition to helping them be
smarter about manufacturing -- new item development, asset utilization,
lead-time optimization and multi-stage processing. Though most companies
would agree that using POS data is important, many may not be aware of its
far-reaching benefits. JustEnough's Todd Kolber shared one study which
revealed that companies who use POS data for demand analysis saw a 30
percent improvement in forecast accuracy, which led to 15 percent lower
inventories, a 17 percent improvement in perfect order fulfillment and 35
percent shorter sales-to-cash cycle.

Department of Homeland Security On Reducing Threat of Terrorism and
Trafficking

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) earlier this year published a
notice (Importer Security Filing (ISF) DHS ISF-10) for importers, termed
"10+2," which -- when passed -- will require importers to electronically
file 10 pieces of information at least 24 hours before shipments are loaded

to ship to the U.S, as well as daily container status messages regarding
certain events and stow plans no later than 48 hours after departure from
the last foreign port. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of
Homeland Security's Chief Program Manager for the Secure Freight Initiative
John Jurgutis gave examples of how such regulations could reduce the threat
of terrorism and trafficking by gathering information on shipments before
they ship -- and noted that during tests, many importers said the new rules
forced them to become proactive in improving internal processes and overall
supply chain performance. Clearly, when prepared for correctly, 10+2 is a
win-win for national security and importers.

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA)

In response to the increasing number of product recalls in recent years,
the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) was passed into
law August 14, 2008. The act changed the retail landscape, with retailers
and importers now being held accountable for unsafe products along with
their manufacturer. During a panel discussion, McDonald's Corporation
Consumer Product Safety Manager Pamela Edwards highlighted her company's
long-standing toy safety program and shared best practices in proactively
responding to the new regulation. On the same panel, Marsh Senior Vice
President of Global Product Risk Practice Alan Schoem also provided
information on the CPSIA and 14 points for World-Class Recall Preparedness,
including contractual agreements and traceability.

Read full articles on conference sessions, along with additional trading
partner best practices for the sales-to-cash cycle, in the next issue of
the Journal of Trading Partner Practices (JTPP). To learn more about the
JTPP, email JTPP@vcfww.com.

About VCF

VCF is the leading organization focused on solutions, services and best
practices for supplier-retailer collaboration within consumer durables,
ranging from fashion and cosmetics to electronics and home furnishings.
VCF is an advocate for retailer-supplier trading synchronization and
champions initiatives to increase strategic industry-wide productivity,
profitability and growth. VCF serves a multitude of touch points in
perfecting retailer-supplier execution to shorten cycle times and drive
overall velocity in the supply chain. VCF draws participation from leading
retailers and suppliers such as JCPenney, Nordstrom, Lowe's, Liz Claiborne,
Est?e Lauder and Kellwood.

About TPMA

TPMA is the leading organization driving best-in-class process for global
trade promotion management (TPM) and trade promotion optimization (TPO).
TPMA is dedicated to the effective and efficient use of trade promotion
dollars and serves as a collaborative resource for research and metrics for
companies such as Hormel, Dial, Del Monte, Cargill Meat Solutions,
Hewlett-Packard, Nintendo, Land O'Lakes, and Johnson & Johnson.

Contact:
Anna Lee
Manager, Marketing & Alliance Development
Vendor Compliance Federation
1055 Parsippany Boulevard, Ste 405
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: 646-442-3707alee@vcfww.comwww.vcfww.com

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