B&Q, Other U.K. Retailers to Accept Post Office Gift Vouchers
Sept. 23 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. retailers including Kingfisher Plc's B&Q home-improvement chain and Kesa Electricals Plc's Comet business will accept gift vouchers to be sold at Royal Mail Group Plc's 14,600 Post Office branches across the country.
The vouchers will be available in sizes ranging from 100 pounds ($180) down to 10 pounds, according to an e-mailed statement released today. They also can be purchased by telephone and over the Internet from the Post Office or its partner, Gift Voucher Shop.
A similar program in Ireland has more than doubled sales annually since it was started in 2002 and now has more than 550 merchants as partners, the statement shows. Britons also can buy so-called experience and enjoyment vouchers for uses such as flying lessons or meals at restaurants including Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman's Sticky Fingers.
``We believe the new service will be very popular with our customers and stimulate an increase in the total size of the U.K. gifting market,'' Derek Rocholl, head of payment services at Post Office Ltd., said in the statement.
The vouchers can be purchased by people who live outside the U.K. Customers can use cash, debit and credit cards and savings stamps to buy them at Post Office branches, which are visited by 28 million people each week, according to the statement. A 1.50- pound fee will be charged for every voucher.
Vouchers also can be redeemed at retailers including billionaire Philip Green's Arcadia Group, the owner of fashion chains such as Wallis, and department-store operator Debenhams, as well as the Yellow River Cafe, Jim Thompson's and Arbuckles restaurant chains run by Noble House Leisure Ltd.
Gift Voucher Shop started the Irish voucher program with An Post, the country's postal service.
|
