Global financial technology organisation Blackhawk Network has acquired gifting and reward business Gift Voucher Shop (GVS), the founding firm of the One4All umbrella brand and An Post subsidiary.
The acquisition aims to strengthen Blackhawk Network’s position in the digital gift card market, as well as supporting the continued growth of GVS in the gifting, saving, incentive and Benefits-in-Kind (BIK) sector.
Blackhawk Network provides platforms that enable clients to manage stored value products, promotions and reward programmes in retail, ecommerce, financial services and mobile wallets.
GVS, which was founded in 2002, has 6,000 corporate clients to date, and a distribution network through the Irish and UK Post Office of around 13,000 outlets. It also has a retail portfolio of 55,000 outlets and two online sales channels. An Post bought a majority shareholding in GVS in 2009.
Jonathan Kenny (pictured), head of International corporate development and strategy at Blackhawk Network, said: “This acquisition is an exciting expansion of Blackhawk’s business footprint in Europe and nicely complements our Happy Cards brand and strategy to expand original, aggregated retail content globally.
“Additionally, the One4all gift card is a great value-add for our European merchant and distribution partners. GVS is a real success story, and we look forward to building further on the excellent work of Michael [Dawson] and his team over many years to create such a dynamic and innovative brand.”
Michael Dawson, founder and chief executive officer at GVS, added: “The strength of support and insight from the An Post management team, coupled with the [organisation’s] broad distribution network, has been a cornerstone of our growth over the past decade.
“[This] agreement marks the start of a new chapter and significant milestone for the team behind GVS and our One4all card. Thanks to Blackhawk’s strength and scale, including an expanded list of merchant partners and distribution points, we look forward to growing our business and continuing to optimise gift card experiences for our partners and customers across multiple channels, devices and countries.”
