From: "Stacy Simpson" <stacysim@us.ibm.com> To: "Linux Post" <Linux_Post@us.ibm.com> Subject: Tommy Hilfiger is dressing up its e-business infrastructure with IBM and Linux Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 09:36:43 -0500 Tommy Hilfiger Chooses IBM and Linux for e-business Infrastructure New Portals Expand Company's Reach to Specialty Retailers, Factories, Employees ARMONK, NY, December 5, 2001 . . . IBM today announced that Tommy Hilfiger Corporation has chosen IBM, eOneGroup and Linux for its new e-business infrastructure as the company works to expand its presence among thousands of U.S. specialty retailers, as well as its worldwide manufacturing facilities and employees. Tommy Hilfiger selected technologies from IBM, including IBM eServer products running Linux, DB2 Universal Database, Java and eOneGroup's suite of software products to create: A new B2B portal (www.tommyb2b.com) that allows Tommy Hilfiger's specialty retailers and salesforce to view, via the web, selected core and seasonal apparel products such as jeans and other basic available inventory in real-time, and place, track and ship orders; A business-to-plant website that links Tommy Hilfiger's production facilities around the world, which is expected to speed design-to-product time and significantly decrease costs; and A virtual employee store that allows, for the first time, Tommy Hilfiger personnel to shop online around the clock. The web infrastructure, designed and built by IBM Business Partner eOneGroup, includes IBM eServer xSeries servers running Linux to handle web-based transactions, integrated online with IBM eServer iSeries servers running Java that are tied to existing wholesale and warehouse management systems. "We identified an increasing demand for our products among mid-market specialty retailers, and IBM and eOneGroup delivered the technologies and expertise we needed to reach this growing market segment," said Brent Findon, vice president of system development at Tommy Hilfiger. "In addition, by integrating these new web portals with our existing back-end systems, we saved significantly on the time and expense of deploying this total infrastructure." "IBM's server interoperability and application flexibility enabled us to reach Tommy Hilfiger's goals of lower costs and increased revenue," said Dan Watson, president of eOneGroup. "The manufacturing portal and employee store are expected to produce substantial cost savings and tommyb2b.com has already proved productive and efficient for specialty store retailers with limited travel budgets." "Tommy Hilfiger needed a solution that provided the performance and reliability necessary to win in the tough retail marketplace," said Buell Duncan, general manager of IBM's mid-market servers. "With our IBM Business Partner eOneGroup, we are committed to helping Tommy Hilfiger grow into new markets with its powerful e-business infrastructure." About Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, through its subsidiaries, designs, sources and markets men's and women's sportswear, jeanswear and childrenswear under the Tommy Hilfiger trademarks. Through a range of strategic licensing agreements, the company also offers a broad array of related apparel, accessories, footwear, fragrance and home furnishings. The company's products can be found in leading department and specialty stores throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Central and South America, Japan, Hong Kong and other countries in the Far East. About eOne Group eOneGroup LLC is a provider of Internet e-commerce products and integration services. eOneGroup serves both business-to-business and business-to-consumers throughout the United States. Their expertise encompasses all facets of the interactive Web content arena, from feature-rich online shopping applications to enterprise-level Web integration. eOneGroup LLC customers include Omaha Steaks, BIC Pens, Valmont MicroFlect and many other high Internet volume activity sites. eOneGroup LLC has headquarters in Omaha, Neb. About IBM IBM is the number one server company in the world, offering a full line of data transaction, web application and appliance servers that embrace industry standards. Powered by breakthroughs such as microprocessors with copper wiring and Silicon-on-Insulator technology, IBM servers have captured industry leading benchmarks that measure transactions, web serving capabilities and performance in software applications. The IBM eServer line is an integral part of customized, flexible and scalable Internet solutions for companies of all sizes. IBM supports Linux on its entire portfolio of e-business servers. ### IBM news releases and fact sheets are available at http://www.ibm.com. The IBM eServer brand consists of the established IBM e-business logo with the following descriptive term "server" following it. The following are either trademarks or registered of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both: IBM, the IBM e-business logo, xSeries, iSeries and DB2 Universal Database. Linux is registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All others are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Stacy Simpson Media Relations IBM Corporation Route 100, Somers, NY 10589 Ph: 914-766-4123 (t/l: 826-4123) E: stacysim@us.ibm.com