Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Joins UCCnet Community
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Jennifer Roberts, UCCnet
(609) 620-4688
jbroberts@UCCnet.org
Mark Silvey, Elias/Savion Public Relations for UCCnet
(412) 642-7700
mark.silvey@elias-savion.com
A&P Will Integrate Standards-Based Services Across All Branded
Supermarket and Retail Chains
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., Nov. 13, 2001 - UCCnet, a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization that provides item registration and global data synchronization based on industry developed standards, announced today The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) (NYSE:GAP) will utilize the organization’s business-to-business Internet-based services.
A&P is one of North America’s 10 largest supermarket chains – operating 752 supermarkets and 68 franchise stores in 16 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada. The company’s retail trade names include A&P, Waldbaum’s, Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, Super Fresh, Farmer Jack, Kohl’s Food Stores, Sav-A-Center, Dominion, The Barn Markets, Food Basics and Ultra Food & Drug. A&P also manufactures and distributes Eight O’Clock, Bokar and Royale coffees through its Compass Foods Division.
“A&P has always been committed to doing business electronically with its suppliers and other trading partners, using industry-accepted standards,” said Harrison Lewis, vice president of data management, A&P. “UCCnet allows us to integrate these standards into our e-commerce system and truly take advantage of the Internet by bringing added efficiency to our supply chain.”
The integration of item registry and global data synchronization are widely recognized components that are vital to realizing the true bottom line benefits of collaborative commerce in today’s business environment. Once implemented, A&P and its trading partners will be able to reduce costly administrative errors in invoice pricing, purchase orders, product delivery and scanning accuracy. The company can also decrease lead-time requirements for new product introductions and changes to existing item information.
“By partnering with UCCnet, A&P continues to separate itself as an industry leader in using standards and electronic communications to drive an efficient supply chain,” said Emil Martinez, vice president of business development for UCCnet. “For retailers, manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, UCCnet is an essential component for driving cost savings into their business and creating efficiency in their trading community.”
A&P and its suppliers will have access to common product authorization files to ensure the right information for the right products is available in a secure environment. A&P will be able to receive updated information on products they currently sell or on products they are interested in selling in the future. When a supplier updates this product information or introduces a new item, the information is automatically communicated to A&P via UCCnet. In turn, when A&P’s manufacturing segments introduce a new product, their retail partners are also notified.
UCCnet will act as a checkpoint within A&P’s trading community, ensuring that all product information is standards-compliant. UCCnet will also provide a repository for A&P’s retail chains to “pull” standardized item information and integrate, in near real-time, into their product maintenance systems. With the UCCnet platform, A&P and its trading partners will be using standardized item information of the highest integrity in their e-commerce transactions.
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About UCCnet
UCCnet is the not-for-profit, tax-exempt industry leader responsible for providing a universal foundation for global electronic commerce. Through its support of global EAN•UCC standards, UCCnet delivers an open platform for collaborative commerce services, including compliance verification, synchronization of product information, registry and lifecycle management of synchronized products, user locations and user trade capabilities.
As a subsidiary of the Uniform Code Council, Inc., the global standards organization, UCCnet leverages its position to enable the rapid, clear development of industry Internet standards and practices. In addition, UCCnet provides implementation methodology, allowing small, medium and large enterprises to integrate e-commerce into their business in a swift and efficient manner. For more information, visit www.UCCnet.org.
About The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
Founded in 1859, A&P was one of the nation’s first supermarket chains, and is today one of North America’s 10 largest. The Company operates over 750 stores in 16 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada under the following trade names: A&P, Waldbaum’s, Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, Super Fresh, Farmer Jack, Kohl’s, Sav-A-Center, Dominion, The Barn Markets, Food Basics and Ultra Food & Drug.
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