biz.yahoo!: Press Release Source: Shell Oil Products US: Shell Doubles Gift Card Sales in 2004: Plans Expanded Program for 2005 (ShellNews.net) Posted 15 Feb 05
HOUSTON, PRNewswire/ -- Shell Oil Products US, marketer of the No. 1 selling gasoline brand in the United States, announced today that its gasoline station network doubled sales of Shell Gift Cards in 2004 over the previous year. During the company's blockbuster holiday promotion, over a third of '04 sales came in December alone.
"Clearly, our Shell Gift Card program took off last year. We plan to build on that success this year with some innovative gift card products that are designed to attract customers, such as reloadable gift cards that have proven to be highly successful in other retail formats," said Carolyn Yapp, Shell's manager, Cards and Payment US.
Participation in the Shell Gift Card program is voluntary in the company's network of approximately 13,000 independently managed Shell-branded sites. The number of retail locations selling Shell Gift cards increased over 260 percent during 2004.
"We believe that our retailers who adopted the Shell Gift Card program made the right choice. We invite the remainder to join the program this year. When word gets out about last year's success, we're confident many will," said Yapp.
"The fact that 75 percent of all Americans live within five miles of a Shell-branded gasoline station is undoubtedly a key factor in the success of our program. At a time when gift cards in general are becoming increasingly attractive as a gift-giving option, there is real value in being a part of our large coast-to-coast network of conveniently located stations."
Each participating Shell retailer and wholesaler receives newly designed point-of-purchase materials, a free new display rack, and an inventory of Shell Gift Cards. Currently, there is no transaction fee on the Shell Gift Cards, saving retailers and wholesalers the credit card transaction fees that are applied when motorists purchase gasoline with a major credit card. The program helps give station operators more value through incremental business and is an effective way to introduce consumers to the brand.
In 2004, Shell Gift Card sales were up 62 percent overall, which includes sales to other businesses, Shell's Retail network, and retail sales through Safeway and Walgreens stores.
Shell Gift Cards can be purchased at participating Shell retail sites and participating Walgreen's, Safeway and Safeway-affiliated stores, as well as at http://www.shellus.com.
Company Information:
Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, and has a network of approximately 6,600 branded gasoline stations in the Western United States. Shell Oil Company is a 50 percent owner of Motiva Enterprises LLC, along with Saudi Refining, Inc., which refines and markets branded products through more than 9,400 stations in the Eastern and Southern United States. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (NYSE: RD - News, SC - News). For more information, please visit http://www.shell.com.
Source: Shell Oil Products US
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