Blackhawk Network Collaborates with Top Retailers to Meet Shoppers' Demand for Gift Cards this Holiday Season

PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In preparation for the busiest shopping season of the year, Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc., a global financial technology company ("Blackhawk"), has launched its holiday gift card marketing efforts in tandem with top grocery big box and digital retailer partners. These efforts will help Blackhawk and its partners meet consumer demand for what the National Retail Federation (NRF) has identified as the most requested gift in America for eleven years running: gift cards¹.

In its new "2017 Closed-Loop Gift Card Holiday Forecast" report², Mercator Advisory Group announced that it expects to see strong holiday sales growth this year—including increased gift card sales. The NRF research also found that many consumers will be shopping in-store this year, including at discount stores (54 percent), grocery stores and supermarkets (46 percent), clothing or accessories stores (35 percent) and electronics stores (27 percent).

"Alongside our partners, we are ready to provide consumers with the depth and breadth of gift card and egift choices that meet shoppers' high demand," said David Tate, senior vice president of Blackhawk. "We have armed our partners with the tools they need to provide shoppers a streamlined shopping process, the best gift cards and egift content available, and special offers on many different gift card brands."

With The Kroger Co. renewal announced last week, Blackhawk has over 80 percent of its top 15 retail accounts, based on transaction dollar volume, under multi-year contracts through 2020 or beyond. These top 15 accounts represent the bulk of retail transaction dollar volume.

About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a global financial technology company and a leader in connecting brands and people through branded value solutions. Blackhawk platforms and solutions enable the management of stored value products, promotions and incentive programs in retail, ecommerce, financial services and mobile wallets. Blackhawk's Hawk Commerce division offers technology solutions to businesses and direct to consumers. The Hawk Incentives division offers enterprise, SMB and reseller partners an array of platforms and branded value products to incent and reward consumers, employees and sales channels. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Blackhawk operates in 26 countries. For more information, please visit blackhawknetwork.com, hawkcommerce.com, hawkincentives.com or our product websites giftcards.com, giftcardmall.com, cardpool.com, giftcardlab.com and omnicard.com.

1 National Retail Federation's 2017 consumer holiday spending survey: https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/nrf-consumer-survey-points-busy-holiday-season-backs-economic-forecast-and

2 Mercator Advisory Group's "2017 Closed-Loop Gift Card Holiday Forecast: Stockings will Get Stuffed" report: https://www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com/Viewpoints/2017_Closed-Loop_Gift_Card_Holiday_Forecast__Stockings_Will_Get_Stuffed/

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SOURCE Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.

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