Aimia signs contract with Aeon Retail, the core retail subsidiary of Aeon, Japan's largest retailer group

MONTREAL, July 26, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM), a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company, today announced it has signed a multi-year contract with Aeon Retail, the core retail subsidiary of Aeon one of the world's leading, and Japan's largest, retailer group.

Aeon, as a group, operates in 13 countries with 440,000 employees and a consolidated operating revenue of ¥8,177 billion (C$102 billion). It is especially dominant in the hypermarket sector in Japan and Malaysia, operating across retail, shopping center developments, financial services and other service businesses.

Aimia will provide data and analytical services to Aeon Retail using its leading edge platform known as Self Serve. Self Serve is a one-stop analytics and insights platform that uses customer and sales data to unlock deeper customer understanding. In line with Aeon's stated strategy of getting closer to customers and leveraging its significant volume of data, it has selected Aimia as its partner of choice. 

"To work with Japan's largest retailer group is an excellent opportunity for Aimia. Aeon will be the biggest retailer group to use our world-class technology which is testament to its scale, depth and capability. Members of Aimia's insights and analytics teams are on the ground working with Aeon Retail to embed Self Serve," said David Johnston, Group Chief Operating Officer, Aimia. "It is an exciting first step in our partnership and we look forward to expanding how we help Aeon make business personal for its customers."

This will be a firm base on which to expand Aimia's strategic relationships in Asia Pacific, providing companies with proprietary platforms, strategic counsel and expertise across the retail, consumer packaged goods, financial services and travel industries. 

This relationship will further deepen Aimia's expertise providing customer analysis and insight to the grocery sector, which started with Sainsbury's in 2007 and now includes clients such as CVS in the U.S., Migros in Switzerland, and Sonae in Portugal. 

About Aimia 

Aimia Inc. (TSX:AIM) is a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company. We provide our clients with the customer insights they need to make smarter business decisions and build relevant, rewarding and long-term one-to-one relationships, evolving the value exchange to the mutual benefit of both our clients and consumers.

With about 3,200 employees across 17 countries, Aimia partners with groups of companies (coalitions) and individual companies to help generate, collect and analyze customer data and build actionable insights.

We do this through our own coalition loyalty programs such as Aeroplan in Canada, Nectar in the U.K. and Air Miles Middle East, and through provision of loyalty strategy, program development, implementation and management services underpinned by leading products and technology platforms such as the Aimia Loyalty Platform and Smart Button, and through our analytics and insights business, including Intelligent Shopper Solutions. In other markets, we own stakes in loyalty programs, such as Club Premier in Mexico and Think Big, a partnership with Air Asia and Tune Group. Our clients are diverse, and we have industry-leading expertise in the fast-moving consumer goods, retail, financial services, and travel and airline industries globally to deliver against their unique needs.

For a full list of our partnerships and investments, and more information about Aimia, visit www.aimia.com.

About Aeon Retail

Aeon Retail Co., Ltd. is Japan's largest general merchandise supermarket and the core retail subsidiary of Aeon, the country's leading retailer group. Through its new key Aeon Style stores being rolled out, it seeks to evolve from using the existing self-service approaches at stores with separate clothing, food and home divisions to having more focus on listening and catering to customers' needs through closer communication at each of its stores so that customers can feel Aeon Style stores are their stores.

About Aeon

Jusco, later Aeon, was established through a joint venture of three local businesses, Okadaya, Futagi and Shiro in 1970. Following the competition among all the then employees to name the new company, Japan United Stores Company was selected as such and its abbreviation became the name of the company. Jusco Co., Ltd. was renamed Aeon Co., Ltd. on 21 August 2001. Aeon transformed itself into a new organisation with the pure holding company Aeon Co., Ltd. at its core and its retail business handed over to Aeon Retail Co., Ltd. on 21 August 2008. The number of Aeon Group companies as at February 2015 exceeds 300 including Aeon Co., Ltd. Under its basic principles of "Pursuing peace, respecting humanity, and contributing to local communities, always with the customer's point of view at its core" the ever-innovative corporate group continues to put "Customers first" into practice.

For more information about Aeon and Aeon Retail, visit https://www.aeon.info/en/.

SOURCE AIMIA