DENVER, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ValueLink, an industry leader in
gift and spending cards and a service of First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), today
announced that clothes retailer ESPRIT Europe GmbH, headquartered in
Dusseldorf, has selected the company to assist in the development and
implementation of an Esprit electronic gift card. The agreement builds on
ValueLink's worldwide client base of 130 major brands and reflects the
strength of a growing European stored value card market.
The ESPRIT gift card and Christmas gift card will be offered across
130 stores in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France,
Austria and Luxembourg. "We believe that this program will be instrumental in
furthering the ESPRIT brand experience in Europe, creating a new platform for
growth for the future," said ESPRIT Deputy Chairman and Group CEO Heinz
Krogner.
Offering convenience and speed to consumers when used as a spending card,
the ESPRIT card also makes an ideal gift idea this Christmas. "ESPRIT is the
first European retailer to take advantage of ValueLink's capability to
simultaneously launch a gift card program in several countries across Europe,"
said ValueLink's Country Manager Peiam Arad. "ValueLink and ESPRIT have
worked together to develop a program which supports the brand in seven
individual countries. The launch cements this alliance, and ValueLink will
manage the program for ESPRIT on an on-going basis."
The gift card looks like a credit card and has a barcode that can identify
the card, its current balance and previous transactions. For the launch, the
card will be offered in two packaged formats; on a festively designed paper
greetings card and in a stylish metal gift box. One of the key advantages of
the electronic card is that customers can load it with any value they choose.
It has also been shown to have a higher perceived value than a paper gift
certificate, when given as a gift*. The gift card will replace ESPRIT's
existing paper gift certificate program.
ESPRIT Europe GmbH is the European arm of Esprit Holdings Limited, based
in Hong Kong, and reported in 02/03 a company turnover of US$1.59bn and brand
turnover of US$3.5bn. The company designs, manufactures, and sells quality
clothing and accessories for men, women and children.
Notes for editors
*Millward Brown European research for VL (2002)
About ValueLink
ValueLink, a service of First Data Corp., is an industry leader in gift
and spending card programs, offering a wide range of transaction processing,
card acquisition, card fulfillment and customer service capabilities. In
1995, ValueLink introduced its first gift card program. Today, the company
develops, implements and provides program management support for more than
130 major brands at 71,000 locations. For more information, visit
http://www.valuelink.info .
About First Data
First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), with global headquarters in Denver, helps
power the global economy. Serving approximately 2.8 million merchant
locations, 1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, First Data makes it
easy, fast and secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services,
using virtually any form of payment: credit, debit, smart card, stored-value
card or check at the point-of-sale, over the Internet or by money transfer.
For more information, please visit the company's Web site at
http://www.firstdata.com .
FDC-1
SOURCE First Data Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.firstdata.com
http://www.valuelink.info
CONTACT:
Danielle Jimenez of First Data Corp.,
+1-303-967-6062, danielle.jimenez@firstdatacorp.com
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