Aimia and Multiplus join forces to launch a new loyalty marketing services company in Brazil
MONTREAL, Canada and SÃO PAULO, Brazil, Nov. 8, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ –
Aimia (TSX: AIM), a global leader in loyalty management headquartered
in Canada and Multiplus (BM&FBOVESPA: MPLU3), Brazil’s leading loyalty
network, announced today that they have entered into an agreement
pursuant to which they will join forces to create a new loyalty
marketing services company in Brazil. The joint venture will focus on
the design, development, management of, and value creation from data
analytics and insight for third party loyalty and incentive programs.
The company will be owned in equal share participations by each of the
parties.
“We are thrilled to partner with Multiplus in this very exciting high
growth market. Together, we believe we can go further by leveraging our
combined strengths” said Rupert Duchesne, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Aimia. “We identified Brazil as a strategic market for
expansion and this joint venture marks an important milestone in the
execution of our global strategy.”
“Since we launched our operations, our vision was to offer a unique
selling proposition extending beyond our loyalty network and including
marketing services such as loyalty program outsourcing and CRM.” said
Eduardo Gouveia, President and CEO of Multiplus. “After evaluating
several alternatives to realize our vision, it became clear that Aimia
was by far the best choice of partner due to their proven expertise in
loyalty marketing services. By combining our skills and capabilities,
we will be in a position to offer our customers leading edge analytics
and value-added marketing services.”
Aimia and Multiplus will be involved in the continuous support of the
business with a focus to build, grow and transform the loyalty
marketing services industry and may explore a broader relationship over
time, should market opportunities present themselves. The formation of
the joint venture is subject to customary regulatory approvals. At this
time there is no anticipated transfer of assets by either party to the
joint venture other than know-how and expertise, with the respective
cash investment by each of the parties expected to be less than US$25M
over a three year period.
Aimia and Multiplus will account for their respective interests in the
joint venture under the equity method.
About Aimia
Groupe Aeroplan Inc., doing business as Aimia (“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 3,800 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.
Caution Concerning Aimia’s Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking
statements. Forwardlooking statements are included in this news
release. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of
terms and phrases such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”,
“expect”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “predict”, “project”, “will”,
“would”, and similar terms and phrases, including references to
assumptions. Such statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions
and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Any forecasts or
forwardlooking predictions or statements cannot be relied upon due to,
amongst other things, changing external events and general
uncertainties of the economy and the business of Aimia and its
partners. Results indicated in forward-looking statements may differ
materially from actual results for a number of reasons, including the
factors identified throughout Aimia’s public disclosure record on file
with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The
forward-looking statements contained in this discussion represent
Aimia’s expectations as of November 8, 2011 and are subject to change
after such date. However, Aimia disclaims any intention or obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required
under applicable securities regulations.
About Multiplus
Multiplus (BM&FBOVESPA : MPLU3) is a loyalty coalition network and was
created in June 2009 as a business unit from TAM Airlines group. In
October 2009, the company was legally established as an independent
operation and it went public in February 2010 and is listed on Brazil’s
stock exchange market ‘BM&FBOVESPA’. As of today, Multiplus is a
subsidiary of TAM SA (BM&FBOVESPA:TAMM4 / NYSE:TAM), which currently
holds 73.14% of its shares.
By connecting different companies and loyalty programs, Multiplus allows
its members to accrue and redeem points in several different market
segments. Today it consists of more than 160 commercial partners
connecting approximately 9 million members (3Q11 data) and it is
possible to earn Multiplus points directly or indirectly (by
transferring from a partner’s loyalty program) in more than 12,500
merchant locations and redeem those points for more than 30,000 options
of products and services.
Multiplus’ strategic partnerships include several major companies such
as TAM Airlines, TAM Viagens (tour operator), Ipiranga and Texaco (gas
stations), Livraria Cultura (bookstore), Accor (hospitality), Oi
(telecom), Editora Globo (publisher), SKY (pay-TV), Luigi Bertolli
(apparel), Microlins and Wizard (education), Drogaria Rosário,
Extrafarma and Droga Raia (drugstores), BM&FBOVESPA (stock exchange),
PontoFrio.com (e-commerce), Unicasa (furniture), Icatu Seguros
(insurance), Ofertas.com.br and Groupon (collective buying) and Movida
(car rental).
For more information about Multiplus, please visit www.multiplusfidelidade.com.br.
Caution Concerning Multiplus’ Forward-Looking Statements
This notice may contain estimates for future events. These estimates
merely reflect the expectations of the Company’s management, and
involve risks and uncertainties. The Company is not responsible for
investment operations or decisions taken based on information contained
in this communication. These estimates are subject to changes without
prior notice. This material is published solely for informational
purposes and is not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to
buy or sell any securities or related financial instruments. Likewise
it does not give and should not be treated as giving investment advice.
It has no regard to the specific investment objectives, financial
situation or particular needs of any recipient. No representation or
warranty, either express or implied, is provided in relation to the
accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained
herein. It should not be regarded by recipients as a substitute for the
exercise of their own judgment.
Contact:
| Media | ||||||
| Aimia: | Michèle Meier | +1-514-205-7028 | michele.meier@aimia.com | |||
| Multiplus: | Ana Paula Stroher | +55 11 5090-8900 ext. 8621 | ana.stroher@ketchum.com.br | |||
| Analysts & Investors | ||||||
| Aimia: | Trish Moran | +1-416-352-3728 | trish.moran@aimia.com | |||
| Multiplus : | Ronald Domingues | +55-11-5105-1847 | invest@multiplusfidelidade.com.br | |||