exclusive Belinda Gannaway Booker customers will be able to take part in online auctions for shortlife and special product offers from next month. The Exchange is part of Booker's e-commerce strategy that will see the cash and carry group move into new product areas, including electrical goods and services. The internet site will allow online ordering and consolidated customer invoicing and create new bidding opportunities for retailers, either individually or as combines. A new banking and insurance arm for independent retailers and caterers is also on the cards. Executive director Charles Wilson hopes to announce a partnership venture in the autumn. He said: "We're excited about getting our customers better deals. By using the web and with our emphasis on a low-cost, high-level service for customers, we see a lot of opportunities." The Exchange goes live in May to 2,000 customers. It will be rolled out to all 400,000 card holders in the autumn. Wilson sees the web as a forum for helping independents take on the multiples in home shopping. A secret pilot begins this month, with Booker backing an independent retailer's move into home shopping. The cost/revenue model is still being worked out, but Wilson says the cost to the consumer will be competitive. He also plans to offer home collection points for other retailers' remote shopping operations. On working with multiples, Wilson said: "We see the opportunity, but we're lukewarm about it." He also wants to help independents become collection points in the vein of the Japanese 7-Eleven operation. {{NEWS }}

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