Ariba, Inc. : Simply Market Streamlines eInvoicing through Ariba’s b-process

Simply Market Streamlines eInvoicing through Ariba's b-process

Tue, Jan 31

French retailer leverages company's cloud-based solutions to automate and speed exchange of more than 1 million invoices a year

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - January 31, 2012 - Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the world's business commerce network, today announced that Simply Market, the French brand group of Auchan supermarket stores, will leverage cloud-based solutions from b-process, an Ariba company, to streamline its eInvoicing process.  

"The benefits of eInvoicing are widely acknowledged within Groupe Auchan and the retail industry," said Philippe Le Goff, Directeur des Services Comptable et Financier at Simply Market. "Using b-process' solution will significantly enhance the exchanges of invoices between our suppliers and our salespoints, and the productivity gains we expect  to generate will create substantial value for both our suppliers and ourselves."

Ariba's b-process delivers a flexible set of cloud-based solutions for e-Invoicing that are used by companies across industries, including: EADS, Eurocopter,  Gefco, IATA, Marmara, Saint-Gobain and Vinci Energie. The solutions accept invoices in any type of structured format files, including positional, EDI, XML and PDF, allowing buyers and suppliers to quickly and easily connect to Ariba's b-process network and begin processing invoices immediately, regardless of the AP, ERP, or other back office systems they are using.

Using the offerings, Simply Market aims to automate the exchange of more than 1 million invoices for inbound merchandise sent by more than 3,000 suppliers to Simply Markets warehouses and 269 salespoints.

"Our goal is to convert 50 percent of these invoices into electronic format within six months and reach 85 percent within 18 months," Le Goff said.

With nearly one third of its suppliers already using billManager, b-process' platform, to exchange data with Auchan or other retail companies, Le Goff believes these objectives should be easy to achieve.

"When it comes to improving the efficiency of the invoice process, French retailers are leading the way," said Alexis Renard, PDG de b-process et Vice-Président d'Ariba. "By implementing Ariba's b-process solutions, Simply Market can reduce the paper, time and costs associated with manual invoicing and deliver efficiencies and savings that improve its operations and competitive advantage."

About b-process

b-process, an Ariba company, is a leading electronic invoicing service provider, which offers tax compliant e-invoicing and financial supply chain services in 24 countries. It provides suppliers and buyers with an end-to-end e-invoicing data automation process, allowing the removal of all paper-related inefficiencies (printing, stamping, re-typing, validating archiving) and environmental costs for both AR and AP departments. Business partners instantly retrieve and collaborate over the invoices and their status, improving their cash-flow management thanks to early payment functionalities. To learn more, visit: www.b-process.com

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of collaborative business commerce solutions. Ariba combines industry-leading technology with the world's largest web-based trading community to help companies discover, connect and collaborate with a global network of partners - all in a cloud-based environment. Using the Ariba® Commerce Cloud, businesses of all sizes can buy, sell and manage cash more efficiently and effectively. Over 730,000 around the globe use the Ariba Commerce Cloud to simplify inter-enterprise commerce and enhance results. Why not join them? To get on the path to Better Commerce visit: www.ariba.com/commercecloud/

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Media Contact:
Karen Master
Ariba, Inc.
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