| WorldWide
Retail Exchange Expands Data Pool Connectivity into Latin America
Telefonica-owned Mercador
to link with the WWRE for Data Synchronization
BOULDER, Colo., Alexandria, VA (November 11,
2003) – The WorldWide Retail Exchange (WWRE), the premier
Internet-based business-to-business (B2B) exchange for retailers
and suppliers, announced today an alliance partnership with Mercador,
a leading provider of B2B services for the Brazilian retail industry.
The WWRE will work with Mercador to deliver product data from suppliers
in Brazil to WWRE members.
“The WWRE provided the most mature, industry-recognized
solution for our item management needs,” said Silvio Laban
CIO of Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição, Grupo
Pão de Açucar, the largest retailer in Brazil, one
of the fastest growing companies in Latin America and a WWRE member
since 2000. “Global data synchronization is an important
and critical process for the future of our industry, providing
enormous benefit to manufacturers and retailers, regardless of
their size or origin. Local businesses will look to the Mercador
and WWRE partnership for the knowledge and expertise to improve
the understanding of data synchronization in the region”
Mercador, owned by Spain’s Telefonica, is a key provider
of data services for the retail market in Brazil. The linkage with
Mercador extends the WWRE’s reach into South America and
enables WWRE members to reach significantly more data through one
point of access.
“This agreement is a critical step in expanding the WWRE’s
reach into Brazil and central to our strategy of building a global
network of data pools,” said Yair Esrubilsky, Regional Director
of Latin America for the WWRE. In addition to providing new opportunities
for our members to collaborate within and across geographies, we’re
working with providers like Mercador to develop standards for data
synchronization that will help the industry as a whole achieve
new levels of data accuracy and efficiency.”
“By establishing this connection with an industry-leading
exchange like the WWRE, we extend the value we are providing to
our customers and their trading partners,” said Jose Messina,
CEO of Mercador. “The interconnection between Mercador’s
catalog and others via the WWRE will enable retailers and manufacturers
in Brazil to share product information through one single entry
point, reducing costs and opening new doors.”
These initiatives are the latest indicators of the WWRE’s
leadership in providing a global, industry solution and a single
point of access to the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).
Nearly half of the WWRE’s total membership -- which spans
all geographies and industry verticals -- plans to conduct data
synchronization via the WWRE’s WorldWide Item Management
solution in the next year.
About Mercador
Mercador SA has been part of the Telefonica Group since July of
2000. The company’s objective is to develop, implement
and manage the roll out and operation of integration/collaboration
projects within corporations, in addition to operating a leading
edge e-business transaction platform focused on adding value
to business partners. Mercador SA, has national presence in Brazil
and consolidated presence in the retail sector (supermarkets,
wholesalers and distributors) as well as in logistics and supply
chain. Mercador has been a key factor in the development of cooperation
channels between industry players. They have acquired the publication
brand Anuário Brasileiro de Supermercados [Brazilian Directory
of Supermarkets] and have started to offer mobile integration
solutions (Sales Force Automation) directly to ERP customers.
About WWRE
The WWRE is the premier Internet-based business-to-business exchange for retailers
and suppliers. Designed to facilitate and simplify trading between retailers,
suppliers, partners and distributors, the WWRE currently consists of 64 members
from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America with combined sales
of approximately U.S. $900 billion. To date, the WWRE has saved its members over
$1 billion through the use of online negotiations, its first product offering.
For more information, visit the website at www.wwre.org or www.worldwideretailexchange.org.
Jane Wilson
703.234.5208
jwilson@wwre.org
or
Summer Stitz
Stanton Communications
202.223.4933
sstitz@stantoncomm.com
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