One of Sweden’s largest retail chains, Clas Ohlson, has signed an agreement with Seamless (OMX: SEAM) and their mobile payment service SEQR. The agreement initially involves the 78 stores located in Sweden at which SEQR will soon be rolled out. More markets on which Clas Ohlson is established await in the next phase as well as e-commerce.
“Clas Ohlson is one of Sweden’s strongest and most classical brands and has driven the retailing industry forward over the years. The fact that they chose SEQR as the supplier of mobile payment services shows that the large added value we offer both consumers and retailers is the key to success as the conditions for the payment industry are being redrawn,” says Peter Fredell, CEO of Seamless, the supplier of SEQR.
Clas Ohlson has a history of more than 95 years, and is currently active in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, the United Arab Emirates and China. Sales are made in stores, online, by catalogue and over the phone. Since 1999, the company has been listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange and has a turnover of SEK 7 billion. Clas Ohlson’s aspiration to increase the digitization of the buying experience has been an important part of the work on the cooperation agreement with SEQR.
“We are always looking for new opportunities and simpler solutions that can improve service to our customers and their buying experience. We now begin to introduce SEQR in Swedish stores and can thereby offer an easy and modern payment service that can also be connected to our loyalty program Club Clas and specific offers while it lowers the costs for our stores. The fact that SEQR is already established on several markets and can easily be integrated into our e-commerce also contributed to our decision,” says Nina Lindfors, Country Manager Sweden, Clas Ohlson.
This past summer, Seamless announced a collaboration with the international supplier of cash register systems PCMS, which is the supplier that Clas Ohlson uses. The fact that SEQR is already integrated makes the upcoming roll-out easier.
For more information, please contact:
Cecilia Lago Albright, PR Manager +46 707 43 13 45, cecilia.albright@seamless.se
Peter Fredell, CEO, +46 8 564 878 00, peter.fredell@seamless.se
Sara Kraft Westrell, Director of Information and Investor Relations, +46 247 649 13, sara.kraft-westrell@clasohlson.se
This information is such that Seamless Distribution AB (publ) must publish in accordance with the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on 17 of September 2014 at 7:50 a.m.
About SEQR
SEQR (se•cure) enables anybody with a smartphone to pay in stores, at restaurants, carparks and online, transfer money at no charge, store receipts digitally and receive offers and promotions directly through one mobile app. All the customer needs to do is scan a QR code at the cash register with the SEQR app and approve the payment with a PIN code. Fast, smooth and safe. SEQR is also adapted to NFC technology. SEQR’s payment solution makes it possible for merchants to cut their transaction costs in half compared with tradition card payments. SEQR’s unique transaction platform has been developed by Seamless, one of the world’s largest suppliers of payment systems for mobile phones. Founded in 2001 and active in 30 countries, Seamless annually handles more than 3.1 billion transactions through 525,000 active sales outlets.
The Seamless proprietary transaction platform forms the basis of SEQR. Some 5,200 merchants have chosen SEQR and today in Sweden, you can make purchases at Hemköp, Willys, Tempo, McDonald’s, Burger King, Ur&Penn, MyWay, Webhallen and Dormy to name a few. SEQR was launched in Romania in 2013 and in Finland in May 2014. In 2013, SEQR was named the winner in the category of Best Mobile Money Deployment in Europe by Mobile Money Global Awards. Seamless is traded on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, short name SEAM. Visit www.seqr.com
Clas Ohlson was founded in 1918 as a mail order business based in Insjön, Dalarna, Sweden. Today, the company is trading in five countries offering outstanding service via its approx. 200 stores, web shop, catalogue and telephone sales channels. Clas Ohlson helps its customers solve every day practical problems with a wide range of affordable products in five product areas: Hardware, Electrical, Home, Multimedia and Leisure. The company is listed on the Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange, has sales of 7 billion SEK and over 4,700 employees. Visit Clas Ohlson at www.clasohlson.com .
