SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 2002--

United Kingdom Supermarket Chain Implements New "Fresh to Go"

Initiative, Uses Autodesk Buzzsaw to Manage Massive Store Refit and

Extension Project

Safeway Stores plc, the fourth largest food retailer in the United Kingdom, has significantly improved its building project management with the Autodesk Buzzsaw project collaboration service. The company standardized on Buzzsaw from Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK) in 2000 and realized significant return on investment (ROI) in a matter of months--cutting hard copy distribution costs by half and shortening design phase timelines by over one third. Safeway's experience with Buzzsaw echoes many of the findings of the recent analyst study that documented the average annual ROI for a sample group of Buzzsaw customers of 370 percent, and a break-even timeline on total cost of ownership of two to three months from implementation of the service.*

Over the past two years, Safeway Stores plc has engaged in an aggressive program of updating and renovating its existing portfolio of 480 stores in order to implement its "Fresh to Go" strategy. Designed by chief executive Carlos Criado-Perez, this initiative has reinvigorated Safeway's sales by broadening store offerings with onsite fresh noodle bars, fresh pasta counters, hot rotisseries, fresh on-site cooked pizza and ready-made meals. For Safeway's design department this has meant a dramatic increase in the number of building projects in which it is involved. The team worked on approximately 20 new projects a year in the late 1990s--mostly new store openings-- but they worked on some 140 major refits and extensions annually in 2001 and 2002.

"Two weeks into our evaluation trials for collaboration services the superiority of Autodesk Buzzsaw became so apparent that we immediately rolled it out to all other projects," said Paul Cox, design controller, Safeway Stores plc. "With Buzzsaw we reduced our hard copy distribution costs by more than 50%--which alone would have paid for the system for a year. Although it is difficult to accurately measure the impact on project implementation timescales, we intuitively know that the building process is more efficient with Buzzsaw simply because of the faster speed of information delivery such as design changes. One thing is for sure, we have achieved an extraordinary throughput of projects over the last 18 months or so; without the use of Buzzsaw this would have been very difficult to accomplish."

The Autodesk Buzzsaw online project collaboration service enables building professionals to save time and potentially increase profitability throughout the entire lifecycle of a building--design, construction and ongoing facility management. By enabling the storage and sharing of the latest project information in one secure location that can be accessed anytime and anywhere, Buzzsaw is helping to reduce critical cycle times and errors, and increase team accountability and control.

"Fast ROI, significant reductions in project cycles and big cost savings are all characteristic benefits for Autodesk Buzzsaw customers. Buzzsaw is a proven solution for improving operations and gaining a competitive edge, and we are delighted that Safeway was able to realize these advantages as it implemented its chain-wide development initiative," said Chris Bradshaw, vice president of Autodesk Building Collaboration Services.

Safeway Stores plc

Originally part of Safeway Inc. of California, the United Kingdom's Safeway Stores plc became independent in 1987 and over the ensuing years grew rapidly, rising to 4th place in its market. The company now has annual sales of approximately 9 billion Pounds Sterling ($13.5 billion), and employs 90,000 staff in support of 480 stores and 180 gas stations that serve more than 8 million shoppers each week.

About Autodesk

Founded in 1982, Autodesk, Inc. is the world's leading design software and digital content company. Autodesk offers solutions for professionals in building design, geographic information systems, manufacturing, digital media, and wireless data services. By delivering progressive products and services, Autodesk helps customers create, manage, use and maximize the value of their digital data throughout the lifecycle of their projects. For more information about the company, see www.autodesk.com. For information about the Buzzsaw service, visit the product site at www.autodesk.com/collaborate.

Autodesk, and Buzzsaw are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

• For the research study, The Hurwitz Group screened and interviewed 50 Autodesk Buzzsaw customers by telephone and/or via Web-based survey regarding the costs associated with Buzzsaw as well as the benefits achieved. Responding firms represented all the major segments or disciplines within the building design and construction industry, including architectural and engineering firms, contractors and owners/developers. Individual respondents included Buzzsaw end users such as project managers and CAD managers, as well as senior IT personnel such as CIOs, CTOs and IT managers.

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