Wirecard Gains Duty-free Supplier Gebr. Heinemann as New Customer for Chinese Payment Methods

ASCHHEIM, Germany, August 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

 - Wirecard integrates China's most popular mobile payment methods into Heinemann's central POS system 

- Initial launch at 13 airports across Europe, subsequent global rollout in the pipeline 

Wirecard, the digital financial technologies specialist, is now cooperating with Gebr. Heinemann to integrate the most popular Chinese payment methods, among others Alipay, into the central checkout system of the Hamburg-based trading company's Duty Free and Travel Value Shops at airports. Heinemann is the market leader in Europe and the only family-owned company among the global players in the duty-free sector. Following the launch in Germany, the solution is to be rolled out at 12 other European airports and then globally.

Raoul Spanger, Executive Director Retail & HR Gebr. Heinemann: "Chinese tourists are becoming an increasingly important target group worldwide. We are pleased to now be able to offer our Chinese guests their domestic mobile payment methods thanks to Wirecard. Through the marketing platforms provided by Alipay, for example, we will be able to provide them with personalized offers for our range of products before they leave.

Christian Reindl, Executive Vice President Sales Consumer Goods at Wirecard: "Chinese consumers now expect retailers worldwide to offer them familiar payment experiences. We are therefore pleased to have won Gebr. Heinemann as a new customer, with whom we are planning to jointly shape the digitization of payment processes."

Shopping for luxury and international branded goods is a particularly popular activity among Chinese tourists and an integral part of their holidays. Heinemann's Duty Free and Travel Value Shops are a popular destination for travelers from China. By accepting Chinese payment methods, the trading house is now gaining a young, online-affine and financially strong target group.

The fact that it is worthwhile for European merchants to respond to the payment habits of Chinese tourists can be seen in the experience of other Wirecard customers, for whom the introduction of the new payment methods has almost quadrupled sales from Chinese tourists within the space of 12 months.

About Wirecard: 

Wirecard (GER: WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both corporate clients and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on solutions in the areas payment and risk, retail and transaction banking, loyalty and coupon programs in addition to data analytics and conversion rate enhancement across all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets, in addition to holding issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on http://www.wirecard.com , follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

About Gebr. Heinemann SE & Co. KG: 

Gebr. Heinemann is one of the most important players in the international travel market worldwide. The company is the market leader in Europe and the only family-owned company among the global players in the industry. As a distributor, the company supplies more than 1,000 customers in over 100 countries. In the retail sector, Gebr. Heinemann operates more than 330 Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value Shops, licensed brand boutiques and concept stores at 79 airports in 29 countries as well as shops at border crossings and on board cruise ships. The family-run company has developed an unmistakeable brand concept for its Duty Free & Travel Value Shops. Today, the Heinemann Duty Free brand can be seen at numerous airports worldwide, with the company operating its largest duty free shop at Sydney Airport., Gebr. Heinemann serves more than 40 million customers in the retail sector every year across a combined retail space of approximately 140,000 m^[2]. The family business has been based in Hamburg's HafenCity since 1879. The company is now in its fourth generation of management, with cousins Claus and Gunnar Heinemann currently directing the business. More than 6,000 people work for Gebr. Heinemann worldwide.

Wirecard media contact: 

Wirecard AG
Jana Tilz
Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363
Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

Heinemann media contact: 

Gebr. Heinemann SE & Co. KG    
Lara Vitzthum / Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.:+49(0)40-3010-23849    
Email: l_vitzthum@gebr-heinemann.de