Pre-pay specialists Incomm has selected The Logic Group as their technology enabler to deliver a new gift card offering for one of UK's leading retailers, Sainsbury's.

Since November 20th 2006 Sainsbury's has offered its customers the UK's first 'Gift Card Centre' allowing shoppers to buy from an extensive range of gift cards from different retailers and visitor attractions.

Leading brands from Habitat to Toni & Guy, Comet and Alton Towers will feature on eye-catching gondola-end display units, where customers can pick from a selection of branded gift cards, as presents for friends and family. The new Gift Card Centre offers Sainsbury's customers more product choice and convenience, while presenting partnering retailers with a new sales channel and opportunities to raise both brand awareness and sales during the critical pre-Christmas sales period.

John Guest, Incomm Europe commented: "Gift cards are an increasingly important new revenue stream for retailers and offer higher returns than their paper-based predecessors. Gift Card Centres are the next step forward for gifting. Not only can they help improve customer loyalty, they increase store footfall and aid impulse purchasing. Stocking a wide range of gift cards enables a retailer such as Sainsbury's to offer customers a whole new way of gift shopping."

Russell Morris, General Manager for Customer Business Development at Sainsbury's commented: "Retailers don't have an idea of the impact of this category yet. It will change the way that customers spend money and when they spend it."

Mark McMurtrie, Marketing Director at the Logic Group concluded: "The success of Gift Card Centres relies on efficient processing and behind the scenes technology that switches transactions and moves the funds to the appropriate party. Gift card processing must work seamlessly alongside traditional card processing. We are delighted to be working with Incomm to introduce this innovative new concept to UK retailers."