News from the Wire

Albertsons Rolls Out Pay By Touch at Midwest Jewel-Osco Stores

Wednesday, March 22, 2006 — 11:53:52 (EST)

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, Inc. (ABS:NYSE) announced today that it is implementing Pay By Touch biometric payment systems in its Jewel-Osco stores throughout the Midwest. The rollout, which began in the Chicago area early this year and is expected to be completed in all 204 Jewel-Osco stores this month, follows a successful year-long test of the technology at Albertsons stores in the Portland, Oregon area. In the pilot program, a significant number of customers utilized the Pay By Touch option.%%N%%NAlbertsons customers who used the technology in the company's Portland-area pilot program reported that they were convinced it is a faster, easier, and more secure way to pay for their groceries. The Jewel-Osco launch of Pay By Touch represents the largest market-wide launch of any retailer that has adopted the leading-edge technology.%%N%%N"At Albertsons we are committed to helping make our customers' lives easier," said Pam Powell, Albertsons senior vice president of customer service. "With this technology, customers can pay for their groceries with the touch of a finger without having to present cards, checks, or cash, reduce their risk of theft and move through the checkout lines more easily and significantly faster."%%N%%N"Pay By Touch is changing the way we pay for things today - and in the years to come," said John Rogers, founder, chairman, and CEO of Pay By Touch. "Paying by touch gives shoppers the ultimate freedom from cards, checks, or cash that can be lost or stolen."%%N%%NThe Pay By Touch system, which is a free service for Jewel-Osco customers, uses a simple finger scan to authorize an electronic transaction from a customer's existing checking account while automatically honoring the Jewel-Osco Preferred Card. A one-time enrollment in the highly secure program takes only a few minutes to complete at Jewel-Osco stores. Customers may choose to link both their checking accounts and their Jewel-Osco Preferred Card to the Pay By Touch system.%%N%%NAbout Albertsons%%NAlbertsons is one of the world's largest food and drug retailers. The company's divisions and subsidiaries operate approximately 2,500 stores in 37 states across the U.S. and employ approximately 240,000 associates. Its banners include Albertsons, Acme, Shaw's, Jewel-Osco, Sav-on Drugs, Osco Drug, and Star Market, as well as Super Saver and Bristol Farms, which are operated independently. For more information about Albertsons, please visit our website at www.albertsons.com.%%N%%NAbout Pay By Touch%%NPay By Touch is the global leader of biometric authentication, personalized rewards, and payment solutions. The company's patented biometric products and services enable shoppers to conveniently and securely access personal accounts using a finger scan to identify themselves, make purchases, cash checks, and earn rewards. Pay By Touch also provides robust payment processing solutions for ACH, card-present and card-not-present debit and credit transactions. To date, Pay By Touch services over 154,000 retail clients, manages personalized rewards programs for more than 130 million opt-in consumers, and has more than 2.3 million shoppers using biometric authentication products and services at 2,000+ locations coast to coast. Founded in 2002, Pay By Touch is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco that employs more than 500 professionals and holds more than two-dozen U.S. issued patents. For additional company information, visit www.paybytouch.com.

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Source: Company press release.