Amex gift cards added to mix at Duane Reade

Chain Drug Review, June 6, 2005

NEW YORK -- Duane Reade Inc. has begun to offer the American Express Gift Card in all 249 of its drug stores.

The card is available in $25, $50 and $100 denominations.

"At Duane Reade we are always finding new and innovative ways to provide customers with the widest selection of products and services," says Gary Charboneau, the chain's senior vice president of marketing and merchandising. "The American Express Gift Card offers another service to our valued customers and emphasizes our commitment to offering unmatched convenience for our shoppers."

"As gift cards continue to grow in popularity, American Express is committed to working with partners like Duane Reade to make gift cards available in a convenient drug store setting," notes Valerie Soranno Keating, president of American Express Global Travelers Cheques and Prepaid Services.

Now, when a shopper is buying a card and wrapping paper, she can also buy the gift card for all recipients and occasions, adds Soranno Keating.

"The American Express Gift Card lets Duane Reade customers give a gift with millions of possibilities," she says. "Recipients can use the card to enjoy everything from shopping to dining out or going to the theater, a spa or a museum."

The appeal of gift cards is surging. Card sales in the United States are expected to reach $48 billion in 2005, according to the research firm Tower Group. American Express' own research shows that offering universal gift cards drives customers into stores--29% of consumers surveyed said they would make a separate trip to a retail outlet to purchase an American Express Gift Card.