News from the Wire

StoreNext and Pay By Touch partner to target independent grocers

Thursday, January 25, 2007 — 12:57:08 (EST)

PLANO, Texas & SAN FRANCISCO--StoreNext Retail Technologies LLC and Pay By Touch have signed an agreement under which the two companies will market and distribute Pay By Touch’s biometric authentication and payment service to independent grocers. The joint solution minimizes grocers’ transaction costs while allowing shoppers to pay for purchases with the simple touch of a finger.%%N%%NUnder the agreement, StoreNext, through its nationwide dealer network, will resell the Pay By Touch store-level hardware, software and interfaces to independent retailers in conjunction with StoreNext point-of-sale (POS) systems. StoreNext dealers also will provide ongoing service and support for the systems. Data and transactions from the independents’ POS systems are processed through StoreNext’s Connected Services suite of Internet-based store management applications, further lowering independents’ networking costs.%%N%%N“Independent grocers need ways to lower payment transaction costs while giving shoppers faster and more convenient service. Pay By Touch makes low-cost biometric payment easy for shoppers while providing outstanding security,” said Ray Carlin, president and CEO of StoreNext. “This agreement makes this state-of-the-art biometric technology accessible to regional chains and independents, and it represents an important step in the evolution of our Connected Services offering.”%%N%%NPay By Touch makes the checkout process faster, more convenient and more secure by eliminating the need for shoppers to present cards, checks or cash at the point of sale. When checking out, shoppers simply touch a biometric sensor and enter a Personal Search number to authenticate their identity and link to their financial and loyalty accounts. Pay By Touch also provides merchants with a quick, precise way to verify age.%%N%%NAlready, more than 3.5 million members are using Pay By Touch in 3,000 stores across 44 states, the UK and Singapore.%%N%%N“With StoreNext’s installed base nearing 10,000 systems, our agreement becomes a watershed event for the industry. Together, we are empowering independent retailers to integrate, implement and merchandise secure, biometric payment options for consumers – a clear competitive advantage,” said John Rogers, founder, chairman, and CEO of Pay By Touch. “The ever-increasing cost of card-based payments puts smaller grocers among the greatest beneficiaries of our services. Pay By Touch and StoreNext with Connected Services provide quick checkout, shopper convenience, dramatically lower costs and reduced fraud all at once.”%%N%%NStoreNext will market Pay By Touch as a complete plug-and-play solution, which includes StoreNext’s ISS45 or ScanMaster POS system and the WinEPS electronic payments system. The MTXEPS, Inc. WinEPS system is the core payment engine used by many major retailers and independents throughout North America.%%N%%NAbout Pay By Touch%%N%%NPay By Touch (www.paybytouch.com) is wowing the world one touch at a time as the global leader in biometric authentication, personalized marketing and payment solutions. To date, the company’s patented biometric services enable 3.5 million shoppers to quickly and securely access personal accounts using a finger scan to identify themselves, make purchases, earn rewards and cash checks at 3,000 locations nationwide. It also provides robust payment processing solutions for ACH (electronic checking), card-present and card-not-present debit and credit transactions for retail clients. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in San Francisco, Pay By Touch employs 800 professionals and holds more than 50 patents worldwide on secure, convenient and cost-effective transaction solutions.%%N%%NAbout StoreNext%%N%%NStoreNext Retail Technologies LLC is the No. 1 supplier of retail technology to independent grocers and regional chains. Based in Plano, Texas, StoreNext is a joint venture of Retalix Ltd. (NASDAQ: RTLX) and Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. and markets Fujitsu POS hardware, Retalix’s ISS45 and ScanMaster POS software, Retalix Store and Retalix HQ, as well as Internet Connected Services for managing stores via Web-enabled applications. StoreNext is the IT company that’s dedicated to meeting the needs of this wholesaler-served market with packaged solutions that were previously available, affordable or practical only for large chains. Web site: www.storenext.com.%%N%%NFor sales and product information call (972) 265-4800. %%N%%NSource: Company press release

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Source: Company press release.