Drug Fair Extends B2B e-Commerce Network with GXS Managed Services.

New Jersey Drug Store Chain Turns to GXS to Expand and Automate Electronic Supplier Network

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, today announced that Drug Fair has selected GXS Managed Services to increase trading partner automation and enhance supply chain visibility. With 50 stores located throughout New Jersey, Drug Fair prides itself on offering its customers the widest selection of drug store merchandise at competitive prices. To support these goals, Drug Fair sought to increase the number of suppliers with which it conducts e- commerce transactions and to increase the overall volume of its electronically-based transactions. GXS Managed Services, GXS' leading B2B outsourcing solution, enables Drug Fair to grow its electronic trading partner network with a lower total cost of ownership than investing in additional resources in software or personnel.

Drug Fair orders goods and services from more than 2,000 suppliers through a variety of automated and manual mechanisms, including electronic data interchange (EDI), e-mail, fax and traditional mail. Today, many of Drug Fair's larger suppliers use EDI for the exchange of purchase orders, confirmations, advanced ship notices, invoices and payments. Drug Fair turned to GXS to increase the number of electronic trading partners and also to increase the number and type of transactions supported. Many of Drug Fair's smaller suppliers are reliant upon manual processes for the exchange of information and are reluctant to invest in the tools required to support EDI- based transactions. To resolve this disparity and to increase the efficiency of its supply chain, Drug Fair is using GXS Intelligent Web Forms (IWF) service to bring B2B e-commerce capabilities to these suppliers. As a component of its Managed Services deployment, GXS IWF service is an Internet- based forms solution that enables Drug Fair's suppliers to easily and cost- effectively trade electronically by simply filling out fields in a customized form. GXS then converts those forms into EDI documents for receipt by Drug Fair. Through GXS Managed Services, the creation and on-going maintenance of Drug Fair's e-commerce program -- including all EDI and web form exchanges -- are managed by GXS.

"As a retailer in a competitive marketplace, efficiency and automation in our supply chain are essential elements to providing our customers with the best selection of merchandise at the lowest price points," said Kevin Marron, director of MIS at Drug Fair. "The complexity of our business and the number of suppliers with which we do business continue to grow, which drove our decision to outsource our B2B program to GXS. GXS not only is taking over the day-to-day management of our B2B program, they also are expanding the ways in which our suppliers can conduct business with us. Ultimately, we expect GXS Managed Services to lower our overall supply chain costs, reduce manual processes and diminish order and invoice errors."

GXS Managed Services enables Drug Fair to free up internal resources to focus on core business objectives, to reduce costs and to fill gaps in internal expertise. To increase adoption of its B2B e-commerce initiative, Drug Fair also selected GXS Community Link, GXS' unique trading partner on- boarding service. GXS Community Link ensures the success of B2B e-commerce initiatives through global trading partner ramping, technical support and change management. With dedicated program managers worldwide and a 100 percent trading partner ramping guarantee, Community Link uses an effective combination of high-tech tools and experience to launch, expand and manage e- commerce communities.

"B2B e-commerce programs are no longer restricted to national grocery chains, department stores and mass merchandisers. Regional chains and specialty retailers are increasingly embracing B2B to improve their operational efficiencies and enhance the customer experience," said Steve Keifer, vice president of industry and product marketing at GXS. "GXS Managed Services enables retailers to leverage the same technologies as their national competitors without investing the time and expense to build these capabilities themselves. More importantly, establishing a B2B e-commerce program using GXS Managed Services provides the foundation for automating additional business processes such as collaborative demand planning, vendor managed inventory and trade promotions management."

GXS has nearly 40 years experience in B2B e-commerce as well as nearly 20 years experience in supporting full-service B2B outsourcing and hub/supplier integration programs. GXS Managed Services customers represent a variety of industries including retail, consumer packaged goods, financial services and manufacturing, where business success often is driven by the effective management of global supply chains and trading partner networks. Companies currently using GXS Managed Services around the world include Actaris, Bank of Montreal, BB&T, Eight O'Clock Coffee, Exel Consolidated Services, Miller Brewing Company, National Instruments, Royal Bank of Canada and Thomson Consumer Electronics. As a key component of the GXS Trading Grid(SM), GXS Managed Services provides customers with world-class B2B program management including trading community management, global supply chain visibility, transaction management, data translation, systems administration and supplier performance reporting. The GXS Trading Grid is a global B2B e-commerce and integration platform that supports the creation and adoption of on-demand supply chain management solutions for companies of any size.

About GXS

GXS is a leading global provider of B2B e-commerce solutions that simplify and enhance business process integration, synchronization and collaboration among trading partners. Organizations worldwide, including 75 percent of the Fortune 500, leverage the GXS Trading Grid(SM) to extend supply networks, optimize product launches, automate warehouse receiving, manage electronic payments and gain supply chain visibility. With an unmatched global presence, proven trading partner management and B2B outsourcing services, GXS' on-demand solutions maximize the benefits of integration for businesses.

Based in Gaithersburg, Md., GXS' extensive global network serves customers throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific regions. GXS can be found on the Web at http://www.gxs.com/.

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CONTACT: Allison Tobin, Global Media & Analyst Relations of GXS, +1-301-340-4988, or allison.tobin@gxs.com

Web site: http://www.gxs.com/

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