Best Western Brings the Gift of Travel to Raley’s Stores

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PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Best Western International announced today that it is expanding the retail presence of its popular gift card to Raley’s supermarkets – just in time for holiday shopping. Through an agreement with InComm, a leading technology provider and distributor of prepaid products, the $50 Best Western Travel Card is now being sold at 144 Raley’s stores in California and Nevada.

A recent survey by Comdata Corporation found that a growing number of consumers are enjoying the one-stop shopping convenience of gift card malls, which are centralized locations in outlets like drug and grocery stores that offer cards from a variety of major retailers. This year, 27 percent of consumers made a purchase from a gift card mall – a five percent increase over 2006. And this holiday season, the average gift card purchaser will spend $203 on gift cards, an increase of $17 over last year’s holiday season.

“Offering the Best Western Travel Card at Raley’s puts it right where today’s busy consumers need it: at the grocery store,” said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western International. “The Travel Card is a great gift for friends or family members who love to travel, or a quick and easy way to manage hotel expenses while traveling for work.”

Raley’s joins Wal-Mart, Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy in carrying the card. Since fall 2006, it has also been available at Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores throughout Canada.