ecMarkets Launches New ASP Offering with Wawa Food Markets Leading convenience chain helps propel ASP solution to the forefront of the industry.

ecMarkets is pleased to announce the introduction of an Application Service Provider (ASP) suite of services. Having provided customers with an array of full-service solutions that have resulted in millions of dollars in savings, ecMarkets is now bringing clients a self-serve model whereby savvy clients can take advantage of their in-house expertise while leveraging the efficiencies that ecMarkets technology has to offer.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 8, 2003 -- ecMarkets is pleased to announce the introduction of an Application Service Provider (ASP) suite of services. Having provided customers with an array of full-service solutions that have resulted in millions of dollars in savings, ecMarkets is now bringing clients a self-serve model whereby savvy clients can take advantage of their in-house expertise while leveraging the efficiencies that ecMarkets technology has to offer. The ASP solution is targeted at customers who have recognized significant savings through the use of online procurement tools. These customers are ready to move to the next level by bringing the support functions of the online procurement process in house.

ecMarkets is launching this new service with Wawa, Inc., a convenience and gasoline retailer considered an industry leader in the markets they serve. We have been pleased with quality, level of service and savings we have achieved through the ecMarkets online tools and see their ASP offering as a natural progression for our organization. Having already executed our first event using the ASP solution, I am extremely pleased with the ease of use and support that ecMarkets provided," said Harry Peck, Manager of Strategic Sourcing for Wawa.

We are excited about the launch of this new offering. The ecMarkets ASP solution will allow us to provide customers with a comprehensive solution regardless of where they fall on the technology adoption curve. With our continued operation of the full service suite, ecMarkets will be uniquely positioned to assist our ASP clients with actual Item and Event specific knowledge that no other ASP provider in the marketplace can offer," said ecMarkets CEO Dave Laukat.

ecMarkets expects to see many existing full-service clients embrace this new offering. The company is confident that the new service will further extend its position as the leading provider of online procurement tools and services to the mid-market.

About Wawa, Inc.

Wawa, Inc., is a chain of over 540 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, quality dairy products, the Sizzli"TM -- a hot breakfast sandwich, Wawa Wraps, Wawa Bakery products, sliced delicatessen meats and cheeses, and fresh produce. Wawa offers surcharge-free ATMs and began opening stores with gasoline operations in 1996 in an effort to provide customers with a total one-stop shopping experience. Wawa Food Markets carry more than 3,000 items including groceries, tobacco and candy.

About ecMarkets

ecMarkets (formerly ecFood) is a pioneer web-enabled sourcing software and services. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, ecMarkets offers advanced e-commerce technology to provide online and off-line line sourcing services to meet a variety of purchasing challenges. To date, ecMarkets has helped customers around the world source over $250 million in goods and services and identify savings of more than $50 million. ecMarkets takes the "best practices" of industrial purchasing systems and blends them with the inherent efficiencies from software applications. ecMarkets is a privately held company that has received funding from RedleafGroup (www.redleaf.com) and Swander Pace Capital (www.spcap.com). For more information, visit www.ecMarkets.com or call 415.869.6100.

Media Contact for ecMarkets:
Sandeep Murthy
sandeep@ecmarkets.com
415.869.6117

Media Contact for Wawa:
Lori Bruce
Lori.a.bruce@wawa.com
610-358-8039