LIVONIA, Mich., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Valassis
(NYSE: VCI), one of the nation's leading media and marketing
services companies, announced today that it has entered into a
multi-year partnership with The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
Company (A&P) (NYSE: GAP) to develop and execute in-store
marketing and media programs. The new partnership will maximize
efficiencies across the A&P family of supermarkets and
ultimately create a shopping environment that directly meets
consumers' needs.
"At A&P, our mission is to enhance the customer experience,
drive customer value and develop a clear brand identity everyday,"
said Tom O'Boyle, Executive Vice President, Merchandising,
Marketing & Supply Chain, A&P.
The new partnership will enable A&P to create a consistent
look for its in-store marketing and media programs, aligning them
with the company's overall marketing objectives.
"We could not be more excited about partnering with A&P in
this essential area," said Michael
Kowalczyk, Valassis Vice President and General Manager of
In-Store Marketing. "The in-store customer experience that
A&P is creating will no doubt redefine the food, drug and mass
merchandise sector, and Valassis is proud to be able to assist in
that mission."
About Valassis
Valassis is one of the nation's leading media and marketing
services companies, offering unparalleled reach and scale to more
than 15,000 advertisers. Its RedPlum™ media portfolio delivers
value on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers across a
multi-media platform – in-home, in-store and in-motion. Through its
digital offerings, including redplum.com, consumers can find
compelling national and local deals. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with approximately 7,000
associates in 28 states and eight countries, Valassis is widely
recognized for its associate and corporate citizenship programs,
including its America's Looking for Its Missing Children®
program. Valassis companies include Valassis Direct Mail, Inc.,
Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, Valassis Relationship Marketing
Systems, LLC and NCH Marketing Services, Inc. For more
information, visit http://www.valassis.com or
http://www.redplum.com. To learn about advertising opportunities
with RedPlum, please call 1-800-437-0479.
About A&P
Founded in 1859, A&P is one of the nation's first
supermarket chains. The Company operates 395 stores in 8 states and
the District of Columbia under the
following trade names: A&P, Waldbaum's, Pathmark, Best Cellars,
The Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, SuperFresh and Food Basics.
Valassis Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-looking
Statements
Certain statements found in this document constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and
other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the
following: price competition from our existing competitors; new
competitors in any of our businesses; a shift in client preference
for different promotional materials, strategies or coupon delivery
methods, including, without limitation, as a result of declines in
newspaper circulation; an unforeseen increase in paper or postal
costs; changes which affect the businesses of our clients and lead
to reduced sales promotion spending, including, without limitation,
a decrease of marketing budgets which are generally discretionary
in nature and easier to reduce in the short-term than other
expenses; our substantial indebtedness, and ability to refinance
such indebtedness, if necessary, and our ability to incur
additional indebtedness, may affect our financial health; the
financial condition, including bankruptcies, of our clients,
suppliers, senior secured credit facility lenders or other
counterparties; certain covenants in our debt documents could
adversely restrict our financial and operating flexibility; ongoing
disruptions in the credit markets that make it difficult for
companies to secure financing; fluctuations in the amount, timing,
pages, weight and kinds of advertising pieces from period to
period, due to a change in our clients' promotional needs,
inventories and other factors; our failure to attract and retain
qualified personnel may affect our business and results of
operations; a rise in interest rates could increase our borrowing
costs; we may be required to recognize additional impairment
charges against goodwill and intangible assets in the future;
possible governmental regulation or litigation affecting aspects of
our business; the credit and liquidity crisis in the financial
markets could continue to affect our results of operations and
financial condition; uncertainty in the application and
interpretation of applicable state sales tax laws may expose us to
additional sales tax liability; and general economic conditions,
whether nationally, internationally, or in the market areas in
which we conduct our business, including the adverse impact of the
ongoing economic downturn on the marketing expenditures and
activities of our clients and prospective clients as well as our
vendors, with whom we rely on to provide us with quality materials
at the right prices and in a timely manner. These and other risks
and uncertainties related to our business are described in greater
detail in our filings with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission, including our reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q
and the foregoing information should be read in conjunction with
these filings. We disclaim any intention or obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Valassis