Aimia and Home Hardware Announce Partnership Renewal

MONTREAL, Feb. 13, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM), a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company, and Home Hardware, Canada's largest independent home improvement retailer, announced that Home Hardware has renewed its strategic partnership with Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program. The extended partnership will enable the retailer to continue building rewarding relationships with Aeroplan's five million active members, who will continue to earn Aeroplan Miles for their purchases at close to 1,100 Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre, and Home Furniture stores across Canada.

Since joining the program in 2007, Home Hardware has seen increased value in total spend by Aeroplan members, as well as increased basket size and frequency. By extending this partnership, Home Hardware will further leverage Aeroplan's advanced data analytics insights and capabilities to enhance long-term customer engagement and value for Home Hardware dealers and online at Homehardware.ca.

"Home Hardware's focus on providing unique customer experiences that are relevant to local market needs has been the backbone of its nationwide success," said Jennifer Jones, Vice President of Retail, Travel, and Strategic Development. "Its customer-focused approach, combined with Aeroplan's loyalty expertise and high-value active member base, has enabled the retailer to offer further value to existing customers and incentivize a new customer base. Home Hardware understands that building and maintaining intimate one-to-one relationships with customers is an evolving effort. We're thrilled to continue working closely together to engage Aeroplan members, enhance their experiences with Home Hardware and drive growth in our partner's business."

According to Q4 2016 data from Vividata¹, adult Aeroplan members spent 23 per cent more on home improvements on their principal residence in the previous two years when compared to adult Canadians. According to a 2017 study by CIBC², almost half (48 per cent) of Canadian homeowners are planning on making some renovations to their homes ? up from 37 per cent in 2016. On average, they plan to spend C$11,800 on these renovations. As the home improvement category in Canada continues to grow, this partnership capitalizes on that trend by ensuring that Home Hardware remains as a top-of-mind retailer for Aeroplan members, increases efficacy of its member-targeted communications through advanced analytics insights, and continues to enable its customers to earn and redeem Aeroplan Miles for their spending.

"Working with Aeroplan has been a great experience, and we've seen a strong impact on the business," said Rick McNabb, Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Home Hardware. "Through the market differentiation that our Aeroplan partnership offers along with the unique customer insight and the power of Aeroplan's coalition, we continue to deliver enhanced value to our customers and dealers.  We look forward to more innovation with Aeroplan as the retail landscape continues to evolve." 

About Aimia

Aimia Inc.'s (TSX: AIM) data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics provides clients with the customer insights they need to make smarter business decisions and build relevant, rewarding and long-term one-to-one relationships, evolving the value exchange to the mutual benefit of both our clients and consumers.

Aimia partners with groups of companies and individual companies to help generate, collect and analyze customer data and build actionable insights.

Our businesses include Aeroplan in Canada and Air Miles Middle East. The provision of loyalty strategy, program development, implementation and management services for other clients are underpinned by leading products and technology platforms such as the Aimia Loyalty Platform ? Enterprise and Aimia Loyalty Platform ? SaaS, and through our analytics and insights business, including Intelligent Shopper Solutions. In other markets, we own stakes in loyalty programs, such as Club Premier in Mexico and Think Big, a partnership with Air Asia and Tune Group. Our clients are diverse, and we have industry-leading expertise in the fast-moving consumer goods, retail, financial services, and travel and airline industries globally to deliver against their unique needs.

For more information about Aimia, visit www.aimia.com.

About Home Hardware Stores Limited

Home Hardware Stores Limited is Canada's largest Dealer-owned hardware, lumber, building materials, and furniture home improvement retailer with close to 1,100 stores under the Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture banners with annual retail sales of over $6 billion. Founded in 1964 in rural St. Jacobs, Ontario, Home Hardware remains 100% Canadian owned and operated. Through the Home Hardware network, Dealer-Owners have access to 100,000 quality, brand name and private label products, a state-of-the-art distribution system and extensive marketing and training programs. Offering a mix of tradition and innovation, Home Hardware Stores Limited has received designation as one of Canada's Best Brands and Best Managed Companies and is committed to helping Canadians with all of their project needs. More information about the company is available at homehardware.ca.

Reference

¹ Vividata (2017). Consumer spend on home improvements, Q4 2016. Retrieved from https://vividata.ca.

² CIBC (2017, May 30). More Canadian homeowners will renovate this year, but spend less to spruce up their space: CIBC poll [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/more-canadian-homeowners-will-renovate-this-year-but-spend-less-to-spruce-up-their-space-cibc-poll-625248994.html.

SOURCE AIMIA