MONTREAL, Nov. 13, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Aimia Inc. (TSX:
AIM), a global leader in loyalty management, today announced that
it has signed a consulting and analytical partnership with
Michigan-based Spartan Stores.
Through the partnership, Spartan and Aimia will work closely
together to leverage and further develop Spartan's customer centric
approach to retail. By harnessing data collected from Spartan's
'yes Rewards' cardholders through the Aimia Self-Serve platform,
Spartan will provide customers with a more relevant and
personalized shopping experience across its network of stores.
Spartan's learning in this area can also be leveraged by their
broad wholesale customer base, allowing merchandising best
practices to be shared across that group.
Spartan plans to work with their wide supplier base; using these
detailed insights into customer purchasing habits and behavior to
improve ROI and build a stronger, more committed partner
network.
The principle that better connections and real relationships
create mutually beneficial outcomes is at the heart of Aimia's
approach. Consumers can receive information and offers that are
more relevant and valuable to them, while businesses can learn more
about their best customers, develop long-term customer and supplier
loyalty, deploy a more effective and efficient marketing spend, and
ultimately make better business decisions by building customer
loyalty.
David Buckingham, U.S. President
of Aimia's ISS team, says: "We're delighted to be officially
partnering with Spartan Stores, a company that is already highly
regarded by other retailers in the U.S. We see this as an in-depth
relationship and we're very much at the beginning of a long journey
together.
"Our businesses share a mutual understanding of the power of
customer centric retailing and it's clear that Spartan is already
very sophisticated in its development and approach. Working
together, we believe that we can achieve Spartan's ambitious goals,
transforming their business by harnessing the power of customer
insight and by placing the customer at the heart of everything they
do."
Larry Pierce, Vice President of
Center Store Merchandising at Spartan Stores, says of the
partnership: "We have an engaged customer base and are determined
to provide them with the best possible shopping experience. We're
confident that our in-depth relationship with Aimia will help make
that possible.
"Aimia has a first-rate track record in data analytics and has
transformed businesses across the globe with their approach to
consumer insight and targeted communications. We're truly excited
about working with them to develop improved data capabilities and
to help us better understand how our customers think."
Notes to editors
About Aimia
Aimia Inc. ("Aimia" or the "Corporation") is a global
leader in loyalty management. Employing more than 4,000 people in
over 20 countries worldwide, Aimia offers clients, partners
and members proven expertise in launching and managing coalition
loyalty programs, delivering proprietary loyalty services, creating
value through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the
emerging digital, mobile and social communications spaces.
Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program,
Nectar, the United Kingdom's
largest coalition loyalty program, Nectar Italia and Smart
Button a leading provider of SaaS loyalty solutions. In addition,
Aimia owns stakes in Air Miles Middle East, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program
Club Premier, Brazil's Prismah Fidelidade, China
Rewards - the first coalition loyalty program in China that enables members to earn and redeem
a common currency, and i2c, a joint venture
with Sainsbury's offering insight and data analytics
services in the UK to retailers and
suppliers. Aimia also holds a minority position in
Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating in card-linked
marketing for electronic banking. Aimia is listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: AIM). For more information, visit us
at www.aimia.com.
About Spartan Stores
Grand Rapids, Michigan-based
Spartan Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPTN) is the nation's ninth largest
grocery distributor with 1.4 million square feet of warehouse,
distribution, and office space located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Company
distributes more than 40,000 private and national brand products to
approximately 390 independent grocery locations in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and to the Company's 101 corporate owned
stores located in Michigan,
including Family Fare Supermarkets, Glen's Markets, D&W Fresh
Markets, VG's Food and Pharmacy, and Valu
Land.
SOURCE AIMIA