Commerce One and Affinity Logic to jointly manage content for eMarketPlace in South Africa

Commerce One, Inc, the leader in global e-commerce solutions for business, today announced it will work jointly with Affinity Logic to manage the content on its electronic MarketSite in South Africa.

Affinity Logic, the e-commerce joint venture between JSE-listed Datatec and Wooltru Limited, will work with Commerce One South Africa to establish the Commerce One MarketSite as the dominant electronic marketplace in Southern Africa. Affinity Logic will contribute its considerable expertise in catalogue content management as well as supplier adoption. The parties expect to enter into a definitive agreement shortly.

Commerce One and Affinity Logic will move rapidly to populate the trade content of leading product suppliers onto the MarketSite, thereby creating the largest business-to-business Internet trading platform in Southern Africa. Together, the parties intend to deliver a technical platform, based on Commerce One technology and methodology that will be populated with a wide range of catalogue content for the delivery of electronic commerce services to large buyers or buying communities, participating in the Commerce One MarketSite.

"Successful Internet commerce demands that best-of-breed partners work together in suitable partnerships to offer the best service to customers. Exact focus is vital in the New Economy," said Simon Ratcliffe, CEO of Commerce One South Africa. "We are excited to be working with Affinity Logic because they have built up an enviable reputation in product catalogue management. Together, we expect to build the dominant Internet trading platform in Southern Africa".

"Affinity Logic has already made significant sunk cost investments in developing the necessary content management tools, skills and supplier relationships," Ratcliffe added. "We will look to leverage these strengths to the benefit of MarketSite`s trading partners, allowing them to gain competitive advantage more fully."

"Commerce One has distinguished itself as a leading global provider of eCommerce solutions with its Global Trading Web, Regional MarketSites and BuySite applications," said Richard Newton, MD of Affinity Logic. "We see exciting opportunities in Southern Africa by partnering with Commerce One".