by Sarah Hills FoodBizDaily.com London
February 12 2010 - The group behind the loyalty card used by Sainsbury’s in the UK is to launch its Nectar scheme at retail outlets across Italy, including Auchan Hypermarkets.
Groupe Aeroplan said its new coalition loyalty program, called, Nectar Italia, will launch on March 1, with the group having 75% ownership in the program and Oney Banque Accord owning 25%.
Nectar Italia is modelled on the Nectar coalition loyalty program that has signed up more than 50% of households in the UK and is used by Sainsbury’s, among others.
It will offer Italian consumers the opportunity to earn points (that can be exchanged for rewards) at more than 5,000 retail outlets, including 50 Auchan Hypermarkets, across Italy.
It will also launch in Simply Sma stores, the number three grocer in Italy with 275 proprietary stores and 725 franchises branded Punto, Simply, Ipersimply, Sma and Cityper. Other retail partners include Api Ip fuel stations with 4200 outlets.
Rupert Duchesne, president and chief executive officer of Groupe Aeroplan, said: “We’re delighted to be launching Nectar Italia with such a strong coalition of leaders in their respective industries.
“As Italy is one of the world’s largest economies with 58 million consumers and a high penetration of loyalty programs, there are significant opportunities for further growth of the program.”
Groupe Aeroplan, which claims to be the global leader in loyalty management, said Nectar Italia is the first independent loyalty coalition program uniting leading retailers in Italy.
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About Groupe Aeroplan
Groupe Aeroplan is the global leader in loyalty management. Groupe Aeroplan owns Aeroplan, Canada’s premier loyalty program, Carlson Marketing, an international loyalty marketing services engagement and events provider headquartered in the US, as well as Nectar, the United Kingdom’s leading coalition loyalty program. In the Gulf Region, Groupe Aeroplan owns 60 per cent of Rewards Management Middle East, the operator of Air Miles programs in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. Groupe Aeroplan also operates LMG Insight & Communication, a customer-driven insight and data analytics business offering worldwide services to retailers and their suppliers.