Stanley Gibbons Selects Stibo Systems to Develop Its Online Publishing Business And Achieve Its Vision of Becoming the Global Philatelic Trading Hub

    READING, ENGLAND, March 02, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- World-renowned authority on philatelic matters to use STEP Master Data Management system to underpin the development of its online publishing business and to deliver its strategic goal of providing an online trading community for stamp traders globally.

AIM listed Stanley Gibbons Group plc, the world's leading name in philately, has selected the STEP master data platform from Stibo Systems, to help develop its online publishing business and achieve its vision of becoming the global hub for philatelic trading by improving its product information management for stamps and philatelic accessories.

The adoption of STEP will provide Stanley Gibbons with an infrastructure to manage the details of more than 2 million stamps held in stock. Master data from STEP will be delivered to the multiple channels that Stanley Gibbons employs, including to the newly-refurbished flagship retail store at 399 Strand; to the many thousands of catalogue pages published by Stanley Gibbons each year; and to a new ecommerce platform which is currently being developed. By using consistent content from STEP, Stanley Gibbons will deliver to its customers a seamless and unified trading or investing experience.

Donal Duff, COO of Stanley Gibbons said: "We selected the STEP platform from Stibo because it has the flexibility to adapt to our changing needs and the scalability to grow with us. With STEP as the central hub for critical product data, we are well-positioned to take advantage of emerging new markets in the Far East, and to develop new brands, whilst simultaneously reducing duplication and errors in data maintenance."

Managing director at Stibo Systems UK, Mark Thorpe added: "We are delighted to be working with Stanley Gibbons and to provide a fundamental part of its new product management infrastructure. The STEP platform will enable Stanley Gibbons to create a single trusted source of information by eliminating duplicate data silos, turning its product information into a strategic asset."

About Stanley Gibbons
Stanley Gibbons is a globally recognised brand and the world's leading name in philately and collectibles. Established in 1856 the Group is a Jersey registered company and operates from both the Channel Islands and the UK. Its business is truly international with over 30% of sales in 2010 being made overseas.

Stanley Gibbons' activities can be broken down into five main segments:

- Stamps - with its renowned expertise and comprehensive stocks Stanley Gibbons serves both specialised and general collectors through its retail and auctions activities.
- Publishing - the Group publishes a range of catalogues using the SG reference system, acknowledged as an industry standard. It also publishes philatelic magazines and a variety of stamp albums and accessories.
- Investment - the Group is the world's only recognised provider of alternative
investment products, based on rare stamps and historical signatures, and publishes the SG price indices which are available to investors using the Bloomberg Professional service.
- Internet - www.stanleygibbons.com, the world's most comprehensive philatelic website serving over 40 million collectors globally.
- Fraser's Autographs - Europe's largest dealers in autographs, memorabilia and rare historical signatures.

About STEP
STEP is a critical component for companies that are improving their business processes and shortening time to market by pursuing a master data strategy. STEP is a unique combination of Master Data Management (MDM), Product Information Management (PIM), Digital Asset Management (DAM), and Multichannel Publishing in one single platform with unified user interfaces to provide complete control over your information supply chain.

By combining multiple enterprise tools into one seamless application, STEP enables businesses to manage the entire product information lifecycle - including:
- Aggregating raw master data and digital assets from trading partners and disparate sources
- Enriching and governing the data and assets in a central repository
- Making consistent data and assets seamlessly available throughout the enterprise
- Publishing approved data to procurement, supply chain, logistics, marketing, merchandising, sales, distribution and support channels
- Delivering approved e-catalogs of data and assets to trading partners and data pools

About Stibo Systems
Stibo Systems delivers enterprise software solutions that help companies gather, manage and share product master data across the information supply chain. The STEP platform creates a single trusted source of information by eliminating duplicate data silos, turning departmental data into a strategic asset. STEP has been implemented by many of the world's leading manufacturers, distributors, retailers and service providers. With global operations, Stibo Systems is part of the privately held Stibo A/S group of companies. For more information, visit www.stibosystems.com.

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