News

Zap-Link e-services zips into Canadian market

April 6, 2004

BURNABY, British Columbia-Info Touch Technologies Corp. announced that Mac's Convenience Stores Inc. will expand on Couche-Tard's U.S.-based ZapLink e-services program as part of its push into the Canadian market.

According to a news release, Mac's Convenience Stores is a subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. a major player in the North American convenience store industry. Initial deployments will be in 34 Vancouver-area Mac's.

The ZapLink network was launched in Phoenix in 2001 by the Circle K Corporation, which operates 1,663 convenience stores in 16 states. It is powered by Info-Touch's industry Surfnet Premiere software.

Info Touch will deploy and manage the Canadian network of ZapLink e-service terminals. Mac's and Info Touch will receive recurring transactional revenues from applications such as Wi-Fi, bill payment, mobile content (ring tones, graphics and games), prepaid wireless, long-distance, money order and money transfer.

"Info Touch has been creating an e-services strategy for the Canadian convenience store industry for quite some time now," said Hamed Shahbazi, chairman and CEO of Info Touch.

[Editor's note: Info Touch Technologies became Tio Networks in April 2006.]