Agora and Computerland aim for 20% of e-commerce

Centrum Handlu Internetowego (CHI), an on-line shopping center venture formed by Agora and Computerland, aims to attract 1000 e-stores and control 20% of Polish e-commerce by the end of next year. CHI president Bo gdan Wisniewski expects the company to record revenues of a few million zlotys next year. CHI will offer small and mid-sized shops an opportunity to go on-line without having to invest in expensive technology. "We shall also provide them with secure clearing and payment systems, as well as act as intermediaries in contacts with logistic companies [for the delivery of goods]," said Wisniewski. He stressed that CHI will be a separate entity from the horizontal portal Agora is going to create, but the two ventures will complement one another. Agora is the publisher of Poland's largest newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, and its portal is expected to be one of the most popular on the market. (Puls Biznesu, p.11)