LOS ANGELES, CA, February 20, 2002 — RATEX Business Solutions, Inc. (RBS), a leading independent provider of technology and management services to college and university stores, announced today at the 79^th Annual Meeting of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) the release of Version 7.6 of its RATEX retail management software.

A proven solution for more than 20 years, RATEX is the industry’s most comprehensive retail management technology, integrating all store operations, including open-to-buy, inventory planning, accounting, and point-of-sale processes. Cornell University, University of Connecticut, University of Colorado-Boulder, Brigham Young University, and the University of California, San Diego, are among the many college stores successfully running their businesses with RATEX.

Significantly enhanced and upgraded over the past year, the new RATEX Version 7.6 adds new, cutting-edge capabilities to the system’s rich array of retail accounting and merchandising functions, including:

• Expanded EDI Capabilities that dramatically cut time and expense out of inventory management transactions, from initial purchase order through final invoicing;

• Purchase Order Cascading features that speed and streamline the merchandise procurement process;

• An Extended Database Module that enables users to quickly search multiple vendor databases for trade and textbook titles at the push of a button;

• Multiple SAN Support Capabilities that simplify special orders in text, trade, and general merchandise.

"RATEX Version 7.6 is a significant upgrade and will enhance the way our college and university stores will be able to do business," says Lawrence G. Daniels, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of RBS. "In addition to powerful new EDI capabilities that drive down the costs of doing business, RATEX users can take advantage of value-added channel linkages we’ve created with major industry suppliers, such as Thomson Learning, Ingram Book Company, Follett Higher Education Group, and NACSCORP, to streamline their business operations and increase their profitability."

RBS will be exhibiting RATEX Version 7.6 in Booth 1417 at the Campus Market Expo (CAMEX) Trade Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center beginning Friday, February 22.

RATEX Business Solutions, Inc. (RBS) provides powerful technology and business management services to the college store industry and is owned by Retail Alliance Inc., a not-for-profit organization of independent college and university stores. In addition to RATEX, the industry’s most comprehensive retail management system, RBS provides an array of business consulting services and training programs to independently managed college stores.

For more information about the RBS or RATEX, contact Larry G. Daniels at (800) 417-2839, ext. 4128.