Groupe Aeroplan's Nectar signs partnership with British Gas

MONTREAL, Sept. 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Groupe Aeroplan Inc.'s (TSX: AER) Nectar, the UK's largest loyalty program, and British Gas, Britain's leading energy supplier, today announced that British Gas will become Nectar's new partner in the utility sector starting in early 2011.

More than 12 million British Gas customers will have the opportunity to collect Nectar points and benefit from the full range of Nectar rewards. British Gas will provide a variety of ways for customers to collect points and enjoy the benefits of Nectar membership. These will range from quarterly points just for being a British Gas customer through to bonus points for switching to direct debit or paperless billing as well as for taking up additional services.

"This partnership is an important milestone for Nectar and we are delighted to welcome such a significant brand into the program starting in 2011," said Jan-Pieter Lips, Managing Director, Nectar. "British Gas will be a major partner in Nectar's continued growth."

"Many more Nectar collectors will be able to earn points on their utilities and we anticipate it will also lead to a significant number of new collectors for Nectar. And we've recently revamped Nectar rewards to make it just as easy to spend points as it is to collect them," added Lips.

"More than 12 million customers count on British Gas to look after their world every day and we don't take that loyalty for granted," said Phil Bentley, Managing Director, British Gas. "We know our customers have a choice, and we want to reward them for putting their trust in us. With Nectar, we will be able to offer our customers' rewards that help them enjoy more of their world".

EDF Energy will stop issuing Nectar Points as of December 31, 2010. Full details of all the ways in which customers can collect Nectar points will be revealed closer to the time of launch.

About Groupe Aeroplan Inc.

Groupe Aeroplan Inc., a global leader in loyalty management, owns Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, Carlson Marketing, an international loyalty marketing services, engagement and events provider headquartered in the U.S., as well as Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program. Groupe Aeroplan also operates LMG Insight & Communication, an international customer-driven insight and data analytics business. In addition, Groupe Aeroplan has majority equity positions in Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position in Club Premier, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program.

For more information about Groupe Aeroplan, please visit www.groupeaeroplan.com.

About Nectar

Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program, is owned by Groupe Aeroplan Inc., a global leader in loyalty management.

More than 50 per cent of UK households collect Nectar points when shopping for groceries, doing DIY, booking a holiday, paying household bills, buying petrol and even when they get their car serviced. Collectors also earn Nectar points every time they shop online via nectar.com at over 450 leading online retailers.

Since Nectar's launch in 2002, over (pnds stlg)1.5 billion of rewards have been redeemed by its collectors. Rewards include money off shopping, travel and general merchandise.

For more information about Nectar, please visit: www.nectar.com

About British Gas

British Gas is Britain's leading energy company, providing gas, electricity, home repair and energy efficiency services to more than 12 million households in England, Scotland and Wales. For more information about British Gas, please visit: www.britishgas.co.uk

For further information: Media: Michèle Meier 514-205-7028, [email protected]; JoAnne Hayes, 416-352-3706, [email protected]; Analysts: Trish Moran, 416-352-3728, [email protected]