WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- The chief executives of the major B2B exchanges -- seen by many as the future of buying and selling branded goods -- acknowledged last month what has been obvious to many observers, namely that the industry probably won't support all three.
ra, Chicago, admitted that mergers between some or all the exchanges are probably inevitable.
"The reality is we can't afford to have [all the] exchanges," Laughlin said in response to a question asked from the audience, which elicited a burst of uneasy laughter from the roomful of executives.
"I certainly agree with Joe," Sprieser said. "There will come a time when our industry can't support the number of exchanges we have right now."
Dyer told attendees that the multiple exchanges arose because of a "mixture of good old-fashioned rivalry between manufacturers and retailers, overlaid with some misunderstanding and a bit of ego."
