Press Release 18.12.2020

epay gift cards now available in stores nationwide following successful trial

With consumers at the forefront of new product offerings, in 2019 epay and Circle K commenced a small pilot of prepaid gift cards in select stores. The success of the pilot demonstrated real demand from Irish consumers for gift cards, resulting in Circle K Ireland expanding the pilot to introduce epay gift cards to all stores nationwide, excluding Circle K Express sites. 

The epay gift cards that are now available in Circle K stores are prepaid vouchers that can be used to purchase items on online gaming, streaming and food delivery services, such as Spotify, PlayStation, Just Eat and Xbox. The vouchers are a great alternative to those who prefer not to use credit or debit cards as payment methods online and make for perfect gift options.   

epay, a leading international full-service provider for payment transactions, gift card and prepaid solutions took on the technical and commercial project earlier this year. This comprised an API integration enabling seamless gift card activation and transaction through the till system, and end-to-end design, production, and implementation of 3 types of gift card units. Site surveys and careful planning facilitated a bespoke unit design which installed into Circle K’s existing ladder rack side panels. With epay’s experience in the gift card industry, epay were able to category manage and optimize the gift card range on offer to consumers on all unit types.  

Joanne D’Arcy, Director of Market Development at Circle K Ireland, said:

“I am delighted to announce that a range of epay prepaid gift cards are now available to purchase in all Circle K stores nationwide (excluding Circle K Express sites). These gift cards can be used on several popular online services, making shopping experiences for customers easier by expanding our in-store product offering.

Launching just in time for the festive season, epay prepaid gift cards are the perfect presents for those seeking a gift for a loved one at the last minute, or a gift for themselves after the year that has been. I would like to extend my thanks to epay for their hard work to support us introducing these new gift card products – featuring a selection of innovative online retailers – to our stores.”

“The success of the pilot and moving to a full launch with Circle K Ireland is very important to us. We recognize Gift Cards as an added-value, incremental revenue opportunity for retailers. For consumers, it is the convenience of being able to purchase a gift card for a loved one at a local store”

explains Richard Robertson, Managing Director epay UK, Ireland & Nordics.

About epay:  

epay is a world-leading full-service payment provider for payment processing and prepaid solutions that processed 1.5 billion transactions in 2019. The company has built up an extensive network of retailers with 717,000 point-of-sale terminals in 54 countries, to connect renowned brands with consumers all around the world. The company offers a portfolio of gift cards (prepaid, closed loop and digital media), business incentives and payment solutions (card acceptance, terminals, e-commerce, mobile and Internet of Payment) for omnichannel commerce, and offers its services thanks to its proprietary cash register integration software. epay is a segment of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), a Kansas-based company which earned $2.7 billion in revenue in 2019, employing a staff of over 7,700 employees and serving customers in 170 countries. epay in Ireland/UK: https://www.uk.epayworldwide.com/     

About Circle K Ireland: 

Circle K Ireland, part of the global fuel and convenience store brand Circle K, is the leading fuel and convenience retailer in Ireland.  With 2,300 employees, its retail network is made up of over 420 stations across the island of Ireland. Of these stations, over 160 are owned by Circle K and over 260 are owned by independent retail partners. The company also operates a large commercial fuels business, with over 20 depots and two owned terminals across the country.   

About Circle K: 

Circle K is an international chain of convenience stores, founded in 1951 in El Paso, Texas, United States. It is owned and operated by the Canadian company Couche-Tard. Circle K employs over 125,000 employees globally and has 15,700 stores in over 20 countries worldwide. 

https://www.circlek.ie/