Retek's IPO left its parent company holding about 88 percent of the shares. That parent was HNC Software, a maker of fraud-detection tools, which had bought Retek in 1996. Retek wrote the systems large chains used to plan what to stock, move goods through warehouses, and set prices. When it went public in November 1999, retailers were racing to sell online, and every one of them needed to know what was on its shelves.

Merchandise by the Numbers

Retek Information Systems was founded in 1995 and acquired by HNC a year later. HNC joined it with Retek Logistics, a maker of warehouse software founded in 1985. The core product, the Retek Merchandising System, tracked items from purchase order to sale. Big chains used it to see which stores were selling what. The company was based in Minneapolis, home to some of the country's largest retailers.

A Bidding War for the Shop

Retek sold shares at $15 on November 18, 1999, on Nasdaq under the ticker RETK. HNC later passed its remaining stake to its own shareholders, and Retek stood alone. Growth slowed after the dot-com bust. In early 2005 SAP and Oracle both tried to buy the company. Oracle won, and it completed the purchase that spring. Retek's software became part of Oracle's retail business.

Cover: The Pastry Shop, plate ten from Landscapes and Interiors, Édouard Jean Vuillard. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for a shop counter (retail).