ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement, is strengthening its presence across the US, after signing a deal with Albertsons Companies, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the country. The agreement will enable consumer access to international and domestic money transfer and money order services, as well as bill payment services at Albertsons Cos. locations—operating under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs.
Consumers will also have the option to start a money transfer transaction on the Western Union® mobile app (available on iOS and Android), and then pay in cash at any Albertsons Cos. store to complete it, offering additional speed, convenience, and the ability to track the transaction through the app. Consumers may also opt to have their receivers pick up their money in cash at one of Western Union’s more than 550,000 global retail Agent locations or pay out to bank accounts or mobile wallets, where available.
The agreement with Albertsons Cos. also extends Western Union’s 30-year relationship with Safeway, which merged with Albertsons in 2015.
“At Western Union, we continue to connect the dots across the world as we link reputable US brands, popular with our money transfer customers, to our global Agent network in more than 200 countries and territories. Our brand heritage, advancing technology and compliance capabilities are the pillars of our reputation and enable strong, lasting relationships with our customers and Agents. We welcome Albertsons into our global family of network Agents,” said Hikmet Ersek, President and CEO of Western Union.
“We want to make it convenient for consumers to move money wherever and whenever they need to. Our collaboration with Albertsons supports our network expansion strategy of offering customers convenience to send money and pay bills, as a part of their daily routine,” he said.
“At Albertsons Companies, our goal is to exceed our customers’ evolving expectations by seeking better ways to create and deliver unsurpassed service and value. Our agreement with Western Union will help our customers quickly and easily complete multiple errands under one roof,” said Mark Panzer, Senior Vice President of Pharmacy and GM/HBC at Albertsons Cos.
Western Union’s retail network across North America has more than 45,000 Agent locations and represents multiple classes of trade, including supermarkets, drug stores, convenience stores and banks, among others.
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About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement. Our omnichannel platform connects the digital and physical worlds and makes it possible for consumers and businesses to send and receive money and make payments with speed, ease, and reliability. As of March 31, 2018, our network included over 550,000 retail Agent locations offering Western Union, Vigo or Orlandi Valuta branded services in more than 200 countries and territories, with the capability to send money to billions of accounts. Additionally, westernunion.com, our fastest growing channel in 2017, is available in more than 40 countries to move money around the world. In 2017, we moved over $300 billion in principal in nearly 130 currencies and processed 32 transactions every second across all our services. With our global reach, Western Union moves money for better, connecting family, friends and businesses to enable financial inclusion and support economic growth. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
About Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. We operate stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood.
