epay Launches the First Gift Card Mall in Brazil at Grupo Pão de Acúcar

Published on Monday, 19 December 2011 09:09 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

SÃO PAULO-( Business Wire )-

epay, a division of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT) and a global provider and distribution network of prepaid products, announced today the launch of the first gift card mall program in Brazil in partnership with Grupo Pão de Acúcar (GPA), Brazil’s largest retailer. epay was chosen through a formal proposal process managed by GPA earlier this year. Phase one of the program encompasses six Extra hypermarkets in São Paulo and will be expanded to other flagship stores of GPA.

The product offering is comprised of several local and global epay content partners across a wide range of categories, including online video games, online social media games, e-learning, long distance calling cards and entertainment. The initial gift card portfolio leverages existing partnerships, both local and global, and will expand as more content providers choose epay as their distribution partner for Brazil. Consumers can choose a gift card for either self-use or gifting from nearly a dozen brand and service options, including Level Up!, Vostu, Paymentez, IDT, Ezlearn, Escola 24 Horas and Cresça Brasil. The gift cards are prominently displayed on custom card racks throughout the store in multiple high-traffic locations, such as the main entrance, electronics department and check out aisles. The gift card is activated at the check-out register and immediately ready for use.

“epay is proud to partner with Grupo Pão de Acúcar to make history in Brazil with the first gift card mall in the country,” said Carlos Henrique Pegurier, Managing Director, epay Brazil. “Being able to leverage our gift card mall experience in other countries positions us as the right provider for this launch and we are glad GPA recognized our strength in this area. Brazil’s vibrant economy, fueled by its growing middle class and coupled with the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, makes this a fantastic time for epay to invest in gift card mall programs in the country.”

“We are pleased to be the first to market with the gift card mall category in Brazil,” said Renato Caetano, Services Manager at GPA. “As the leader in the retail market in Brazil, GPA is excited to bring this new gift card category to our customers with the help of epay. The gift card mall offers GPA shoppers a one-stop shopping experience for gift cards, giving consumers the choice of gifts from multiple categories such as games, courses and entertainment. The current gift card offering is merely the beginning - we expect to launch many more powerful brands in coming months to further the gift card mall concept in our stores.”

After the initial phase, a rollout to more than 400 GPA locations is scheduled to commence mid-January 2012.

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