RMX Leaves C-StoreMatrix At The CounterRMX Leaves C-StoreMatrix At The Counter

Marketplaces may be hitching up to survive the E-commerce shakeout, but not all matches are made in heaven. An intended merger between RetailersMarketXchange and C-StoreMatrix.com, both exchanges aimed at convenience stores, has ended in an early separation. RMX execs say the agreement in principle they signed with C-StoreMatrix in February expired in April and the deal is off. C-StoreMatrix could not be reached for comment.

RMX, whose stakeholders include Chevron, Oracle, and Phillip Morris USA, allows convenience-store operators to order supplies like oil, petroleum, snacks, and beverages online. C-StoreMatrix was established in April 2000 by i2 Technologies, the National Association of Convenience Stores, and Retalix, a software provider for the retail food industry. It's developing a hosted system to let operators track sales and plan inventory by tracking point-of-sale data by store. The merger was going to offer members a wider range of E-business tools, but analysts say the pair was tripped up by incompatible software from i2 and Oracle.

RMX says the deal never materialized because C-StoreMatrix didn't fulfill its part of the agreement. The technology assets and pilot projects it promised weren't ready and would have created a liability for RMX, says Kelly Heiderich Lee, director of marketing at the firm. She says RMX is developing its own forecasting apps with software provided by Oracle, but isn't focusing a lot of resources on it. "For this community, that app is a little beyond their learning curve."