Retail data registry sees growth in hardware and general merchandise sectors
Lawrenceville, NJ — April 6, 2004 — UCCnet, a not-for-profit organization that provides item registry and synchronization services, has experienced significant growth during the first quarter of 2004, adding 566 new companies in this three-month period, surpassing 2003's record of 119 new companies during the same time period, the organization announced this week.
UCCnet provides a multi-industry source where trading partners can locate item, location and partner information. As of March 31, UCCnet companies totaled over 3,000.
Since its inception in 2000, UCCnet's subscriber base has grown to include retailers and manufacturers within grocery; textile, furniture, jewelry, apparel and beauty products; hardware, home improvement and building; pharmaceuticals; chemicals, agriculture and industrial; office supplies; and medical.
Recent UCCnet subscribers include Office Depot, The Home Depot, Albertsons, Elmer's Products Inc., Delta Faucet Co., Staples, Bayer Healthcare LLC Consumer Care Division, H-E-B, and Tyson Foods.
UCCnet said that 62 percent of the subscriber base comes from the non-grocery sector. The non-grocery segments, such as hardware, home improvement and general merchandise, represent the primary source of growth for UCCnet during 2003 and 2004.
Dan Wilkinson, UCCnet's vice president of business development, said that the value that UCCnet brings to its member companies increases as its subscriber base increases. "The UCCnet community increases the collective value by increasing the number of trading relationships." Wilkinson said.
The organization said that the UCCnet registry has earned endorsements from EAN International, the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards Association (VICS), the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), The Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the American Hardware Manufacturers Association (AHMA), the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA), among other industry groups and trade associations.
UCCnet said that its registration and synchronization services help suppliers and their retail partners reduce administrative errors in invoice pricing, purchase orders, product delivery and scanning accuracy.
