Business Exchanges SA

Business Exchanges SA, Ariba Inc. and IBM Global Services form a strategic alliance for the creation of one Horizontal and several specialised Vertical electronic marketplaces in Greece. Business Exchanges will be the Marketing and Hosting partner of Ariba Inc. in Greece.
Business Exchanges S.A, is the result of the co-operation among 3 top Greek companies: EFG Eurobank Ergasias (60% participation in the new venture), Panafon/Vodafone, a leading mobile telecommunications provider (30%), and Hellas-on-Line, a leading Internet Service Provider (10%). Business Exchanges establishes a new proposition for the provision of Business-to-Business services (B2B) and for the creation of electronic marketplaces. The company announced today its co-operation with U.S. company Ariba Inc. a leading software developer with specialized services in electronic commerce between business organizations (Business-to-Business E-Commerce). This co-operation is on the basis of preferred marketing and hosting partnership in the geographical areas of Greece and Cyprus. Business Exchanges also announced a co-operation with IBM Global Services for the implementation of the Ariba marketplace platform in the Greek market. The alliance aims to achieve the following objectives:

To create and maintain a technological competitive advantage in electronic commerce,
To develop the largest electronic marketplace hub in the Greek market,
To provide innovative value added services for the organizations in the Greek market, and
To support and educate the clients of Business Exchanges S.A.

Ariba Inc. is the leading provider in the field of business-to-business e-commerce solutions. Ariba’s clients are global companies, representing 40% of Fortune 100. Ariba supports companies in their effort to fully exploit the opportunities presented by the new economy. Ariba also provides the most integrated and open platform for the development of B2B electronic marketplaces, the management of markets, and the automation of suppliers and providers of commercial services over the Internet. Business Exchanges has been active in the Greek market since the end of 2000 and has been progressing at a rapid pace, with the aim to perform live transactions within 2001. Business Exchanges is the first company to present a value proposition for developing horizontal and vertical marketplaces in Greece. To achieve this goal, Business Exchanges enjoys the full support of a number of business and technological partners, ensuring successful electronic marketplaces.
Business Exchanges has already established a number of partnerships with key players in the Greek market:

The Fourlis Group of companies, leaders in the import and distribution of electronic appliances, home equipment and sports apparel.
Radio Korasidis, a leading electronic appliances retail chain,
Atlantic Super Markets Group, with more than 120 points of sale in Greece,
Quest Group and LogicDIS, leading information technology organizations,
SETE Procurement and Trading S.A, with more than 1000 suppliers, and
FAMAR, a leading pharmaceutical company.

During Comdex Greece, Business Exchanges will demonstrate the Ariba Marketplace solution at stand No A37. This solution will be the core of the Business Exchanges’ technological offering, for the horizontal and vertical retail marketplaces. Business Exchanges will also present a demo environment for managing catalogues, RFQ’s and electronic auctions.
Further information can be found on the company's website www.be24.gr