Winn-Dixie Expands, Promotes Gift Cards

WENDY TOTH

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a long and steady expansion of its gift card offering, Winn-Dixie Stores here has launched a major promotion in time for this year's holiday season, the retailer reported this month.

Through its partner InComm, Atlanta, the retailer now carries stored-value gift cards for close to 80 different brands.

“Winn-Dixie's approach to promoting this is through our in-store signage, in-store radio, floor graphics, public relations efforts, associate holiday aprons, electronic marketing through our Customer Reward Card, circular advertising and supplemental displays strategically placed throughout the store,” Winn-Dixie spokesman Joshua Whitton told SN.

Gift cards can be purchased in all of the retailer's 521 locations and come with a gift bag. “Winn-Dixie first began carrying stored gift cards in 2002 with our own line of cards as a service to our customers. In 2004, we began adding other card types, which primarily included prepaid wireless cards. Today, as we continue getting better all the time, our card offerings have more than tripled,” Whitton said.

“Even though other holidays are promoted, the winter season usually sees the biggest push,” said Bob Skiba, executive vice president and general manager of Stored Value Solutions, Louisville, Ky., a processor and provider of gift cards.