AGRIBUYS, WWRE WORK TOWARD 'GLOBAL VALIDATION'

PETER PERROTTA

TORRANCE, Calif. -- Agribuys, an electronic procurement provider of produce, meat, poultry and seafood, here said it will be partnering with the World Wide Retail Exchange, Alexandria, Va.

"We are very excited to be working with the WWRE," said Marina Kotsianas, president and CEO of Agribuys.

"The WWRE membership includes the world's leading retailers, so this alliance provides global validation of our business model."

Peter Jueptner, chief commercial officer of the WWRE, said he also is excited about the alliance.

"The Agribuys/WWRE alliance will create a single point of contact for our members to access a robust sourcing and procurement solution custom-created for the food industry," Jueptner said.

"We will help our customers broaden their market reach, reduce purchasing costs and increase sales margins," he added.

Officials from Agribuys held a press conference at the 2001 FMI Show in Chicago earlier this month to discuss this announcement.

At the conference, Kotsianas also said that Agribuys plans to expand its services to include some consumer product goods offerings in the future.