2016-10-18

PLEASANTON, Calif. and BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 18, 2016  — Blackhawk Network, a pioneer of prepaid gift cards, payment tools and rewards delivered via a robust and convenient network, today announced plans for an exciting gift card holiday season with its long-time partner, Albertsons Companies, that operates under 19 banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United, Carrs, Albertsons Market, ACME, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Star Market, Market Street, Haggen, Eagle, Amigos, Pak ‘n Save, and Super Saver.

“Our customers love the convenience of our well-stocked Gift Card Malls, especially during the holidays when time becomes a valuable commodity,” said Shane Sampson, chief marketing officer of Albertsons Companies. “Our Gift Card Malls offer an incredible variety to our shoppers, with great options for everyone, including a number of variable open loop and closed loop cards. We also will have several new products for purchase this holiday season, like the Five Back Visa gift card, which allows customers to earn up to five percent back on purchases made at participating merchants.”

“The Five Back Visa gift card works just like a regular Visa gift card and comes in variable load, while also saving shoppers money by providing up to five percent back on their card if they shop at select merchants,” said David Tate, senior vice president, U.S. retail at Blackhawk Network. “It’s a great product for shoppers looking to save during this busy shopping season, or to gift with that little something extra.”

Gift cards remain extremely popular with consumers as shoppers value their ease of purchase and use, and enjoy picking them up in regularly visited locations like the grocery store. Last year, The Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) found that about three in four consumers surveyed (73 percent) planned to give at least one gift card last holiday season, a slight increase from the previous year.1 More than 58 percent of shoppers surveyed by the National Retail Federation2 in 2015 also said that they would like to receive a gift card, making them the most requested gift item nine years in a row.

For more information on the Five Back Visa gift cards, visit https://www.fivebackgift.com.

About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a leading prepaid and payments global company, which supports the program management and distribution of gift cards, prepaid telecom products and financial service products in retail, digital and incentive channels. Blackhawk’s digital platform supports prepaid across a network of digital distribution partners including retailers, financial service providers, and mobile wallets. For more information, please visit www.blackhawknetwork.com or product websites Cardpool, Gift Card Lab, Gift Card Mall, GiftCards.com and OmniCard.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. The company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 19 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is dedicated to helping people across the country live better lives. In 2015 alone, with the help of generous customers, Albertsons Companies and the Albertsons Companies Foundation gave more than $270 million in food and financial support to the more than 2,300 communities they serve, improving the lives of millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, and veterans outreach. Albertsons Companies is committed to making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood.

[1] The Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) gift card study was an online survey conducted in March 2015. The sample size included more than 1,000 adult respondents.

[2] The NRF Holiday Consumer Spending Survey was conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, October 5–13, 2015. The sample size included 7,276 consumers.

The post Blackhawk Network Makes Plans with Albertsons Companies for the Holidays appeared first on Blackhawk Network.

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