SafeCharge Partners With World Duty Free to Offer WeChat Pay In-store at London Heathrow Airport

Enabling one of the most popular Chinese mobile payment methods has become a must for those merchants wanting to deliver the best shopping experience to the increasing numbers of Chinese visitors

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SafeCharge (LON: SCH) -- the partner of choice for businesses who demand more from payments technology -- announced it has partnered with World Duty Free at London Heathrow Airport, enabling Chinese travelers to conveniently pay for their goods using WeChat Pay, a widely adopted e-wallet payment solution in China. World Duty Free now relies on SafeCharge's new mobile POS application, a solution for merchants to easily accept QR code-based payment methods.

According to VisitBritain, over 330,000 Chinese travelers visited the UK during last year alone, injecting over one billion pounds into the economy in 2017. Reflecting this spending power, WeChat Pay conveniently supports Chinese shoppers with higher transaction values, presenting a convenient payment solution for those merchants able to take advantage of it. WeChat also offers effective online marketing opportunities to increase interaction with consumers, with coupons, cash-back promotions and many other features further driving Chinese customers to those shops accepting the payment method.

Commenting on the introduction of the payment system, Tony O'Donnell, UK Financial Controller at World Duty Free said, "Since the initial rollout in Terminal 4 we have seen a steady increase in transaction volumes and are currently in the process of extending this capability across the other Heathrow terminals. SafeCharge has been instrumental in supporting our fast deployment with high level quality support and we look forward to working closely with the team as we continue to expand across more locations and concessions."

The SafeCharge Point of Sale app is an application downloadable from popular App Stores and available for both iOS and Android devices. Thanks to an intuitive interface, it connects to the SafeCharge Payments Engine allowing merchants to generate a QR code either on the Seller's side, or a scanning one on the Buyer's device. The app requires no technical integration and it is a convenient solution to provide a frictionless tap-and-go shopping experience for customers.

"Chinese shoppers are among the most tech savvy in the world, and take the ability to go cashless and make mobile payments at home for granted. With Chinese tourism growing at a 20% rate every year, it has become vital for merchants to adapt to offer these valued customers the service and experience that they expect - and that means accepting Chinese alternative payment methods whether online, in their shops, pop-up stores or outdoor markets in order to remain competitive," said David Avgi, CEO, SafeCharge. "Our new SafeCharge Point of Sale App has been developed to help businesses serve an increasing number of customers who normally default to QR code-based payments methods, for a better shopping experience and increased revenues."

About SafeCharge

SafeCharge International Group Limited, is the payment service partner for the world's most demanding businesses. SafeCharge provides global omni-channel payments services from card acquiring and issuing to payment processing and checkout, all underpinned by advanced risk management solutions. This fully featured proprietary payment platform connects directly to all major payment card schemes including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Union Pay as well as over 150 local payment methods. With offices around the world, SafeCharge serves a diversified, blue chip client base and is a trusted payment partner for customers across a range of vertical markets. The company has been listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market since 2014.

For more information see: http://www.safecharge.com/

About World Duty Free

World Duty Free is a Dufry company. Its core business is tax and duty free shopping and its proposition covers the complete spectrum of airportduty-free shopping including Beauty, Wines & Spirits, Food & Confectionery, Tobacco, Sunglasses, Watches & Jewellery, Fashion & Accessories and Souvenirs.

Dufry AG is a leading global travel retailer operating around 2,200 duty-free and duty-paid shops in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and downtown tourist areas. Dufry employs over 31,000 people. The Company, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, operates in 65 countries in all five continents.

Contacts
Francesco Tius
PR for SafeCharge
francesco.tius@axicom.com
+44-7921-058-736