Clients in the News
Written for: Industry Retail Group, Inc.
Industry Retail Group Marks Two Years of Managed Network Services for JoS. A. Bank Clothiers
BETHESDA, MD, March 18, 2009 – Industry Retail Group, Inc. (IRG) (www.industryretail.com), a leading provider of retail-centric broadband-based applications and services, announced its recent two year mark of providing network and integration services to JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. JoS. A. Bank is the pre-eminent name in men’s classic clothing, and has been at the forefront of the men’s apparel market for over 100 years. JoS. A. Bank operates over 461 stores today across the United States. They continue to expand yearly on their vast network of retail locations.
JoS. A. Bank initially selected IRG to provide broadband services, turn-key integration, and serve as the project management lead for its WAN deployment. Working within the JoS. A. Bank-imposed 90-day implementation schedule, IRG successfully fulfilled its commitment to complete the deployment for every store in just 10 weeks.
In retrospect, several key factors contributed to the success of the project. First, the IRG Project Management Team took a proactive approach to communication. Each component of every install was communicated to JoS. A. Bank in near real-time to ensure record accuracy of each job. The project was consistently and diligently managed to minimize the impact of the service upgrade to the stores’ day-to-day operations and provided assurance the project was progressing on track.
“The IRG team fully stepped up to the challenge of being hands-on WAN partner we envisioned when selecting them,” stated Scott Toth, Divisional Vice President of IT for JoS. A. Bank. “Their detailed management of the 400-plus site store rollout was top notch, and their willingness to hunt and find low-cost broadband service, even when initially there appeared to be no broadband available, is unparalleled to anyone we’ve evaluated in the past. We value the partnership with their organization.”
The IRG solution created a secure, always-on broadband environment that enabled JoS. A. Bank to deploy new applications that directly impacted business drivers important to their business. Several of these drivers are universal in the retail, QSR, and C-store space, such as increased brand awareness, improved customer buying experiences, and maximized employee efficiencies. IRG’s COO Joe Manzari stated, “Today, a broadband network is certainly a commodity. The real value for a retailer is how they can leverage broadband applications to increase the customer experience and see faster ROI. Our proactive approach, from concept to fulfillment, empowers retailers to quickly see the positive financial impact of leveraging broadband.”
Mike Luzio, CEO of IRG added, “We respect the vision and leadership of the JoS. A. Bank team, as it was quickly obvious they understood the potential of broadband-enabled applications. We’re confident this will continue to help drive their growth over the next few years, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the second anniversary of a great relationship.”
About JoS. A. Bank Clothiers
JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc., established in 1905, is one of the nation’s leading retailers of men's classically-styled tailored and casual clothing, sportswear, footwear and accessories. The Company sells its full product line through 461 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia, a nationwide catalog and an e-commerce website that can be accessed at www.josbank.com. The Company is headquartered in Hampstead, Md., and its common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “JOSB.”
About Industry Retail Group
IRG is a premier provider of broadband-enabled network services, serving retailers and multi-site companies. IRG partners with its clients to serve as a single, comprehensive source for industry-specific broadband-related services and solutions, offering proactive, dedicated support. IRG has a growing client base including Fortune 1000 retailers with locations worldwide. IRG also provides valuable over-lay applications including Hotspot and Enterprise Wi-Fi, hosted VoIP, and IP-based Video Surveillance. These bottom-line impacting services allow clients to further leverage their WAN investment.