ATLANTA, Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- EarthLink
Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading managed network and cloud
solutions provider for multi-location businesses, today announced
that Nashville-based specialty
retailer Genesco Inc., selling footwear, headwear, sports apparel
and accessories in more than 2,500 retail stores throughout the
U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the
Republic of Ireland, recently
extended its relationship with EarthLink, with future plans to use
the network in new ways to enhance the customer shopping
experience. A longtime EarthLink customer, Genesco relies on a
private EarthLink MPLS network to run all in-store point-of-sale,
inventory management and employee communications and training in
its Johnston & Murphy, Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Underground by
Journeys and Shi by Journeys stores.
On October 6, Rik Reitmaier, Genesco Vice President of
Technology, will serve as a panel speaker during EarthLink's
session at the prestigious Gartner Symposium/ITxpo® 2014 in
Orlando. With the symposium theme of "Driving Digital
Business," EarthLink's session will feature a lively
discussion of how digital business and the mobile, connected
consumer are transforming the retail and service industries and
share the best practices to engage customers through WiFi, mobile,
and digital technology.
An early adopter of EarthLink's retail solutions, Genesco is
also a member of the company's Retail Advisory Council, which
brings together retail IT leaders to network, learn best practices
and share their challenges and opportunities. Feedback from the
Council helps EarthLink continue to develop solutions that best
support the unique requirements of multi-site retail and service
businesses.
"As brick and mortar and online shopping experiences evolve, we
will continue to innovate and invest in new technology solutions,"
shared Reitmaier. "Genesco enjoys a trusted relationship with
EarthLink and relies on its retail expertise in handling our
day-to-day secure network management, which frees my staff to focus
its talents on developing strategic applications that drive
marketing and operations initiatives to help move the sales meter
for our brands."
To enrich the in-store shopping experience for its consumers,
Genesco plans future applications to connect with shoppers via
mobile, gather better data on in-store activity, and shift "one to
many" advertising to "one to one" targeted offers. The retailer
also plans to run people counter analytics over its optimized
EarthLink network to help deliver better customer service.
Genesco is also a major participant in EarthLink's Operation
Cash Register program, now in its sixth year, which allocates
additional resources to retailers during peak holiday shopping
periods and back-to-school in the fall, providing smooth
operational performance and priority issue resolution.
"Upgrading Genesco's network will enable them to further
leverage new technology to tailor the shopping experience and
increase appeal to its various brand demographics," said
Rick Froehlich, EarthLink Executive
Vice President, Products and Consumer. "I'm pleased with this
extension of our relationship, as it speaks to how Genesco values
our service model and unique understanding of their retail
environment."
About EarthLink
EarthLink (EarthLink Holdings Corp., (NASDAQ: ELNK) provides
managed network, security and cloud solutions for multi-location
businesses. We help thousands of specialty retailers, restaurants,
financial institutions, healthcare providers, professional service
firms and local governments deliver a reliable and engaging
customer experience in their stores and branch offices. We do so by
building and managing MPLS WAN networks, by providing virtualized
infrastructure, security, hosted voice, secure WiFi and compliance
solutions, and by offering exceptional customer care. We operate a
nationwide network spanning more than 28,000 fiber route miles,
with 90 metro fiber rings and secure data centers that provide
ubiquitous data and voice IP service coverage. Our EarthLink
Carrier™ division sells facilities-based wholesale
telecommunications to other providers and our award-winning
Internet services connect hundreds of thousands of residential
customers across the U.S. For more, visit www.earthlink.com and
follow @earthlink, LinkedIn and Google+.
About Genesco Inc.
Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based
specialty retailer, sells footwear, headwear, sports apparel and
accessories in more than 2,670 retail stores and leased departments
throughout the U.S., Canada, the
United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland, principally
under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Shi by Journeys,
Underground by Journeys, Schuh, Schuh Kids, Lids, Locker Room by
Lids, Lids Clubhouse, Johnston & Murphy, and on internet
websites www.journeys.com, www.journeyskidz.com,
www.shibyjourneys.com, www.schuh.co.uk, www.johnstonmurphy.com,
www.lids.com, www.lids.ca, www.lidslockerroom.com,
www.lidsteamsports.com, www.lidsclubhouse.com, www.trask.com,
www.suregripfootwear.com and www.dockersshoes.com . The
Company's Lids Sports Group division operates the Lids headwear
stores, the Locker Room by Lids and other team sports fan shops and
single team clubhouse stores, and the Lids Team Sports team dealer
business. In addition, Genesco sells wholesale footwear
under its Johnston & Murphy brand, the Trask brand, the
licensed Dockers brand, SureGrip, and other brands. For more
information on Genesco and its operating divisions, please visit
www.genesco.com.
SOURCE EarthLink Holdings Corp.