Aimia Inc.
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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| TSX: AIM | |
| Industry | Management |
| Predecessor | Groupe Aeroplan Inc. |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Aimia Tower, , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Robert E. Brown (Chairman), Rupert Duchesne (Group Chief Executive) |
| Products | Data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics |
| Website | aimia.com |
Aimia, formerly Groupe Aeroplan,[1] is a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company based in Montreal, Canada, has close to 4,000 employees in 20 countries,[2] and is publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange,[3] which manages various loyalty programs including Aeroplan in Canada, Nectar (Italy and the UK) and provides loyalty strategy, program development and management services to clients underpinned by product and technology platforms such as the Aimia Loyalty Platform and Smart Button, and through their analytics and insights business, including Intelligent Shopper Solutions. Aimia Inc. also owns stakes in loyalty programs, such as Club Premier in Mexico, Air Miles Middle East and Think Big, a partnership with Air Asia and Tune Group.
History
Aimia was incorporated on May 5, 2008 and is the successor to Aeroplan Income Fund following the completion of the reorganization of Aeroplan Income Fund from an income trust structure to a corporate structure.
On October 5, 2011, the Corporation started to conduct business under the new brand name Aimia, and on May 4, 2012, the Corporation changed its name to Aimia Inc. The registered and head office of Aimia is located at Tour Aimia, 525 Viger Avenue West, Suite 1000, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2Z 0B2.[2]
Business Structure
Starting in January 2016 Aimia will move away from a geographical structure and towards a line of business structure. The three lines of business include Global Loyalty Solutions, headed by Shailesh Baidwan, Americas Coalitions, headed by Vince Timpano, and International Coalitions, headed by Jan-Pieter Lips.
Prior to January 2016[4] Aimia Inc. operated in three regional business segments: Canada, the United States and Asia-Pacific ("US & APAC") and Europe, Middle-East and Africa ("EMEA").
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In Canada, Aimia owns and operates the Aeroplan Program, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program. In EMEA, Aimia owns and operates Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program, Nectar Italia, and Air Miles Middle East, the leading coalition loyalty program in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, through a 60% ownership interest. Aimia's EMEA segment also provides data driven analytics and insights services in the UK and internationally to retailers and their suppliers, through ISS and its 50% participation in i2c, a joint venture with Sainsbury's. Aimia also develops analytical tools to provide services to clients globally to collect, analyze and derive actionable insight from their customer data which is used to improve marketing return-on-investment. In each of the regions, Aimia provides proprietary loyalty services, including loyalty program strategy, design, launch and operation.
Aimia also holds a 48.9% interest in, and jointly controls with Grupo Aeromexico, PLM, owner and operator of Club Premier, a Mexican coalition loyalty program. Additionally, Aimia holds investments in Travel Club, Spain's leading coalition loyalty program, Think Big, the owner and operator of BIG, AirAsia and Tune Group's loyalty program, and China Rewards, a Chinese-based retail coalition loyalty program start-up, as well as minority interests in Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating in card-linked marketing for electronic banking, and Fractal Analytics, a provider of advanced analytics.[2]
General Development of the Business
2005: Aeroplan completes its IPO as an income trust.
2007: LMG acquisition includes Nectar and LMG’s Insight and Communication (I&C) business. Air Miles Middle East is also acquired.
2008: Aeroplan becomes Groupe Aeroplan.
2009: Carlson Marketing is acquired.[5]
2010: Groupe Aeroplan launches Nectar Italia and invests in Club Premier.
September 2011: Acquisition of minority equity position in Cardlytics.
October 2011: Groupe Aeroplan becomes Aimia
September 2012: Aimia and Sainsbury's announced the formation of Insights 2 Communication LLP ("i2c"), a joint venture which offers suppliers comprehensive multi-channel marketing solutions in and around Sainsbury's stores and online.
September 2012: Aimia acquires EIM – Excellence in Motivation.
November 2012: Aimia and Points International Ltd., owner and operator of the loyalty platform Points.com, announced that they had entered into a binding agreement to make a minority investment in China Rewards, a Shanghai-based retail coalition loyalty program start-up.
2013: Aimia acquires Smart Button and 100% in Nectar Italia. Aimia also invests in ChinaRewards and launches Axis Bank.
September 2013: Aimia entered into ten-year financial credit card agreements with each of TD and CIBC, effective from January 1, 2014.
February 2014: Aimia, AirAsia and Think Big Digital Form Partnership to Grow the AirAsia BIG Loyalty Program
April 2014: Aimia acquired a 25% stake in Travel Club, Spain's leading coalition loyalty program, becoming a joint owner of Travel Club alongside Iberia, Repsol and Eroski.
August 2014: Aimia formed a strategic long-term partnership with Fractal Analytics, a provider of advanced analytics.
December 2014: Aimia acquired Zed Inc. Ltd., a provider of SaaS behavioural segmentation solutions and consulting services focused on customer-centric store management, ecommerce, buying and merchandising, and product category management.[2]
References
- ^ October 5, 2011, "Groupe Aeroplan Adopts New Name and Global Brand Identity", Newswire Canada
- ^ a b c d "AIMIA Annual Information Form for the Financial Year Ended December 31, 2014" (PDF). aimia.com. March 20, 2015.
- ^ "Investor FAQ", AIMIA website
- ^ "Aimia reports second quarter 2015 results".
- ^ Carlson Marketing Sold to Groupe Aeroplan for $175 Million