Aimia and Points.com Enter China with Co-Investment in Loyalty
Start-up Partnered with One of the World's Largest Payment Card
Issuers
Focused on the Long-Term Market Opportunity, Aimia and
Points.com Make Minority Co-Investment in China Rewards, a New Loyalty Program Partnered
with China Union Pay
TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM)
and Points International Ltd. (TSX: PTS; NASDAQ: PCOM), owner and
operator of the loyalty commerce platform www.Points.com, have
entered into a binding agreement to make a minority investment in
China Rewards, a Shanghai based retail coalition loyalty
program start-up. Under the terms of the agreement, Aimia and
Points.com will each be investing up to US$5
million upon achievement of certain performance milestones
and subject to regulatory approvals.
"Entering what is soon to be the world's largest economy has
been a strategic growth imperative for Aimia," commented
Rupert Duchesne, Aimia's Group Chief
Executive, "As part of our stringent due diligence we have
evaluated the key points of entry into China, seeking the right
caliber of partner as well as a high return investment with minimal
risk- China Rewards fit all of the criteria."
A key element of the China Rewards program is a long-term
agreement with anchor partner, China Union
Pay, one of the world's largest network operators.
Points' CEO Rob MacLean said "The
Chinese loyalty industry is still in its early stages and we are
excited to be involved in China
Rewards. This strategic relationship will offer an immediate
and credible presence and allow us to more quickly and efficiently
establish our business in the important and rapidly growing Chinese
market."
Mr. MacLean added "China Union
Pay has unprecedented scale in the Chinese retail industry
with a rapidly growing international reach. The ability to
leverage this infrastructure and brand to quickly build a large,
national loyalty program is a unique and remarkable
opportunity."
China Rewards CEO, Cindy Wu has
been doing business in China for
more than 20 years and is a veteran of the retail loyalty industry.
"We are very excited to be partnering with global leaders, Aimia
and Points.com. Their experience in the loyalty space is a
valuable and important part of China Rewards' growth plans," said
Ms. Wu.
In connection with this transaction, CIBC acted as financial
advisor.
About Aimia Inc.
Aimia Inc. ("Aimia") is a global leader in loyalty
management. Aimia's unique capabilities include proven
expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services, launching and
managing coalition loyalty programs, creating value through loyalty
analytics and driving innovation in the emerging digital and mobile
spaces. Aimia owns and operates
Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty
program and Nectar, the United
Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program. In
addition, Aimia has majority equity positions in Air Miles
Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position in
Club Premier, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty
program and Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating in
merchant-funded transaction-driven marketing for electronic
banking.
Aimia is a Canadian public company listed on
the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: AIM) and has over 3,400
employees in more than 20 countries around the world. For more
information about Aimia, please visit www.aimia.com.
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/aimiainc.
About Points International Ltd.
Points International Ltd. (TSX:PTS) (Nasdaq:PCOM), is the owner
and operator of Points.com, the global leader in reward currency
management providing multiple eCommerce and technology solutions to
the world's top loyalty brands. Points.com also manages the largest
consumer rewards management platform, allowing more than 3 million
users to trade, track, exchange, and redeem their loyalty points,
miles, and rewards.
Recently, Points International was the recipient of several
prestigious awards; the Company was named the 5th largest Canadian
software company and the 40th largest Canadian technology company
by the 2012 Branham300 list as well as ranked 40th by
PROFIT Magazine's top 200 Canadian companies by five-year
revenue growth for 2012.
Points.com's solutions enable the management and monetization of
loyalty currencies, including frequent flyer miles, hotel points,
retailer rewards and credit card points, as well as enhancing
loyalty program consumer offerings and back-end operations for more
than 40 partners worldwide. Further, Points.com's SaaS products
allow eCommerce merchants to add loyalty solutions to their online
stores and reward customers for purchases.
For more information on Points.com, visit
www.pointsinternational.com, follow us on Twitter (@pointsadvisor),
fan us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pointsfans or read our blog
http://blog.points.com).
Note: Points International will be further discussing the
China Rewards investment on their upcoming earnings call today at
5 PM ET. To participate in the
conference call, investors from the U.S. and Canada should dial (877)
407-0789 ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
International callers should dial (201) 689-8562.
SOURCE AIMIA