SHOO Steven Madden Ltd

The wRatings Corporation, an independent competitive research firm, announced today the results of the annual Most Competitive Retail & Manufacturers Study, which was sponsored by Fortna Inc., a leader in designing, implementing and supporting complete supply chain solutions. In the report, Coach (NYSE: COH) repeats the most competitive large cap company, with Gildan Activewear (NYSE: GIL) and Volcom (NASDAQ: VLCM) as most competitive for mid and small cap firms. The report, available for free at both the wRatings and Fortna websites, details the top 20 companies in each market segment.

Covering 310 retailers and manufacturers, companies in apparel and footwear are performing the best from both a customer and financial perspective. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for items that are “on display”, whereas “behind the scenes” products like toiletries are open to the trade down syndrome seen throughout the past recession. The key for pricing power though has shifted from brand recognition to long-lasting products.

Gary A. Williams, CEO & founder of wRatings said, “Certain retailers were smart enough to catch the safety and guarantee wave when selling their products during the recession. With confidence growing in the economy, consumers have moved beyond price/risk decisions to look at price/preservation. Pricing power in this holiday season will go to products that can prove their durability.”

                2010 RANK Large Caps Ticker Industry W Score™ 1 Coach Inc. NYSE: COH Specialty Stores 96.5 2 Avon Products Inc. NYSE: AVP Cosmetics & Toiletries 93.1 3 Nike Inc. NYSE: NKE Footwear 92.1 4 Cemex SAB de CV NYSE: CX Machinery 89.0 5 AutoZone Inc. NYSE: AZO Automotive 88.4   2010 RANK Mid Caps Ticker Industry W Score™ 1 Gildan Activewear Inc. NYSE: GIL Apparel 95.4 2 lululemon athletica inc. NASDAQ: LULU Specialty Stores 94.5 3 Steven Madden Ltd NASDAQ: SHOO Footwear 91.2 4 Copart Inc. NASDAQ: CPRT Automotive 90.3 5 Crocs Inc. NASDAQ: CROX Footwear 89.4   2010 RANK Small Caps Ticker Industry W Score™ 1 Volcom Inc. NASDAQ: VLCM Apparel 91.9 2 Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. NYSE: KCP Footwear 91.3 3 Brooks Automation Inc. NASDAQ: BRKS Machinery 90.8 4 Blount International Inc. NYSE: BLT Machinery 85.5 5 Dorman Products Inc. NASDAQ: DORM Auto Parts 85.4  

“Fortna is proud that our focus on defining and delivering our client’s business case through our integrated supply chain solutions and services has helped leading companies weather the recent tough economic climate and prepare for recovery. This report illustrates the importance of efficient supply chain practices and highlights the business results achieved by our clients. We are honored to have leading companies choose Fortna as their long-term partner,” stated John A. White III, President at Fortna.

A W Score of 100 means the business built the highest customer and economic advantages when compared to the 4,000+ companies in the wRatings universe of coverage. To access a complimentary version of the full report:

Fortna: http://www.fortna.com/wRatings: http://www.wRatings.com/projections.php?s=2010

About wRatings Corporation

The wRatings Corporation is an independent competitive research firm based in metro Washington DC. The company was founded by research expert and Harvard Business Review author, Gary A. Williams. He and his team continually study customer desires to determine the sources of pricing power. Since 1999, their original set of leading indicators uses a common framework to measure the competitive strength of companies. For more information, visit www.wRatings.com.

About Fortna - “Driving Supply Chain Results”

Fortna designs, implements and supports integrated solutions for our clients through supply chain consulting, material handling systems implementation and systems selection and implementation. Our “no-silos” business approach ensures alignment strategically, financially and operationally and brings our clients’ supply chain strategy to life. Our integrated services and unmatched supply chain design tools have provided long term and trust-based relationships with clients in a wide range of industries including multi-channel retail, consumer products, electronics, parts distribution and third party logistics. www.fortna.com