HY-VEE SAYS IT'S 'EXCITED' ABOUT JOINING THE WWRE

PETER PERROTTA

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Hy-Vee Food Stores here said last week it is joining the Alexandria, Va.-based WorldWide Retail Exchange.

"Hy-Vee is excited to be part of an organization that is dedicated to improving trading partner relationships throughout the supply chain," said Ron Pearson, chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board of Hy-Vee.

"The WorldWide Retail Exchange is using the latest technology to develop supply chain solutions that take costs out of the distribution system and improve efficiencies," he added.

Hy-Vee operates 213 stores and last year did $3.6 billion in sales.

WWRE is an electronic B2B retail exchange designed to facilitate and simplify trading between retailers, suppliers, partners and distributors.

WWRE launched in March 2000 and now has 54 leading retailers from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

"It's another tool we can use in our ongoing effort to find and deliver the best products at the best prices for our customers," Pearson said.

Colin Dyer, CEO of WWRE, said he was pleased with the development.

"Hy-Vee's membership adds significant scale and reach to our already global membership base," Dyer said. "Hy-Vee's membership also serves as validation that our business model is working."

Hy-Vee joins Albertson's, Giant Eagle, H.E. Butt, Kmart, Meijer, Publix, Target, Safeway, Wegmans, Tesco, Winn-Dixie and Supervalu as WWRE members.