McLane Grocery Distribution, CSP Announce Virtual Trade Show cStoreExpo.com to Launch in November

TEMPLE, TEXAS – (October 8, 2003)   - CSP Information Group announced it has entered into an agreement with Temple, Texas-based grocery wholesaler McLane Grocery Distribution to develop and jointly market a virtual tradeshow and informational website, cStoreExpo.com. (McLane Grocery Distribution is an operating division of McLane Company, Inc.) 

The site will provide retailers and suppliers within the McLane Grocery Distribution customer base the ability to share information and conduct transactions in a virtual tradeshow setting. Visitors to the site will also have direct access to industry news and information from CSPNet.com and the award-winning CSP Daily News, as well as the ability to attend live and pre-recorded web conferences in CSP’s newly built CSPNetwork CyberConference Center.

“This initiative represents significant enhancements in communication, ease of ordering and access to information for retailers,” said Terry McElroy, president of McLane Grocery Distribution, in announcing the launch of cStoreExpo.com. “We view the virtual tradeshow concept as a complimentary addition to McLane Grocery Distribution’s regional tradeshows and vendex events, both of which will continue at a physical location convenient to our customers.”

According to the companies, among the chief goals of cStoreExpo.com is to enable small, independent retailers – whose access to information is often limited by time and resources – to have access to and contact with vendors on a scale similar to that of large chains.

During the past five years, industry consolidation has led to the growth of very large chains, even as retail divestments by the nation’s large integrated oil companies have moved thousands of stores into the hands of small, independent retailers, causing the ranks of these operators to balloon. More than 84,000 c-stores – 63% of the nation’s store count – are part of chains with 10 or fewer locations, according to 2003 NACS/Trade Dimensions reports. cStoreExpo.com is designed to provide any retailer – from the single-unit operator to the largest chains – with easy access to products, services, information and education without the need for time out of the office. The initiative also provides a clear channel through which McLane Grocery Distribution can communicate with and provide value to the growing independent retailer community.

A core component of cStoreExpo.com is the McLane Arena, a fully appointed virtual tradeshow site, in which suppliers of products through the McLane Grocery Distribution network can set up virtual booths, display and distribute product information, collect virtual “business cards” from attendees and, ultimately, conduct transactions and sell product during a virtual tradeshow. As with an actual tradeshow, McLane Arena will hold scheduled tradeshows that will open and close on specific times on scheduled days. Similarly, the CSPNetwork CyberConference Center will be conducting regularly scheduled live web conferences that will be available to attendees on a membership basis.

“McLane Arena and CSPNetwork will provide a unique, new level of access to information for all levels of the industry,” said Paul Reuter, president and editorial director, CSP Information Group.

cStoreExpo.com and the McLane Arena were developed by Houston-based FuelQuest Inc. McLane Grocery Distribution and FuelQuest will be conducting demonstrations of the site at the National Association of Convenience Store Show in Chicago Oct. 11-14. The site will launch later this year, in conjunction with a scheduled McLane Grocery Distribution vendex event. CSPNetwork CyberConference Center launches in November.

About McLane Grocery Distribution:

McLane Grocery Distribution provides distribution services to multiple industries throughout the United States – delivering food and non-food products to the convenience store, drug store, mass merchandise, wholesale club, and movie theater industries. McLane Grocery Distribution, which is an operating division of McLane Company, Inc., is headquartered in Temple, Texas, and operates 18 grocery divisions.