'You'll find it all' at Jean Coutu and check-out faster with Visa payWave

TORONTO , Sept. 29 /CNW/ - Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) announced today in Canada that The Jean Coutu Group, one of Canada's leading drugstore chains, is the latest retailer to offer its customers the speed and convenience of Visa payWave(TM) contactless payments. With Visa payWave, customers can simply "wave and go" when purchasing everyday items like the high quality health, hygiene and beauty products found in Jean Coutu stores.

"Moving through the check-out more quickly has obvious benefits for drugstore shoppers, whether they're popping into the store for one or two items, or browsing through the aisles looking for new products," said Mike Bradley , Head of Products, Visa Canada . "We're happy to have The Jean Coutu Group on board as our first Visa payWave-enabled chain of drugstores."

"We're always interested in giving our customers the best experience in our stores", says Michel Boucher , Chief Information Officer at The Jean Coutu Group. "Now we can offer our customers a faster, more convenient way to pay with Visa payWave."

Jean Coutu locations in Canada will be equipped with Visa payWave terminals to help increase speed at the cash register, which is an important feature in a busy drugstore.

The use of Visa payWave enabled Visa cards and point-of-sale terminals in Canada is closely aligned with Visa Canada's migration to chip card technology. Visa employs a layered approach to its fraud prevention efforts, meaning both the payWave card and the terminal have built-in measures to help heighten security efforts.

About Visa Inc.

Visa operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries.

About The Jean Coutu Group

The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. operates a network of 358 franchised stores in Canada located in the provinces of Québec, New Brunswick and Ontario (under the banners of PJC Jean Coutu , PJC Clinique and PJC Santé Beauté) and employs more than 16,000 people. The Jean Coutu Group is one of the most trusted names in Canadian pharmacy retailing. The Company holds a significant interest in Rite Aid Corporation, a national chain of drugstores in the United States with more than 4,800 drugstores in 31 states and the District of Columbia.

For further information: Carla Morin, Visa Canada, [phone], [email protected]; Sarah Van Lange, Fleishman Hillard, [phone], [email protected]