Stop & Shop to Enhance Loyalty Programs at Gas Pumps

QUINCY, Mass. -- The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., LLC here has new technology in the wings to support the loyalty programs tied to the Ahold banner's 60 gas stations.

The chain is working with tech supplier Atlanta-based Radiant Systems, Inc.

Joe Sullivan, Stop & Shop's general manager of gasoline, said the Radiant systems are "built for speed" and have a proven track-record interfacing to above-store systems. "With the right technology in place, we will be able to provide our customers with meaningful rewards and a fast transaction."

"Our system is currently up and running in Stop & Shop's lab," Radiant spokesman James Hervey told Progressive Grocer. "The deployment is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2007."

The Radiant solution will include Radiant Point of Sale software, P1550 POS terminals, S4500 servers, and the Tiger Fuel Controller. In addition, the solution will feature an interface to the supermarket price-book employing an industry-standard interface, along with an interface to the Stop & Shop loyalty program.

Radiant's hardware and software products have been rolled out in over 60,000 sites across more than 100 countries. The company also provides technology for Kroger's fuel sites.

Stop & Shop employs more than 58,000 associates and operates 385 stores throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey.

In other Ahold news, the company reportedly is interested in buying Dutch retailer Hema, a scheme that, if true, could garner a minimum bid of 1 billion euros (US $1.34 billion). Observers expressed some surprise at the move. "It does not fit with the group's strategy of selling assets to focus on the core assets and to improve returns on net assets," said ING analyst John David Roeg.

Hema is well known in its home country for selling affordable nonfood items and food products such as cakes and wine.
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