Read this! What an awesome deal. NCR to spend $31 million developing the Townpages kiosk network.
TOWNPAGESNET.COM ADS (AMEX: TPN)
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News August 13, 09:22 Eastern Time
"Free for All" Townpages Announces $31.4 Million Deal for NCR to Build and Maintain 3,500 Kiosks Allowing Broad On-line Information Access by UK Residents
ALTON, England,, Aug 13, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE via COMTEX) -- TownpagesNet.com plc (AMEX: TPN) today announced a landmark agreement with NCR Limited, a unit of NCR (NYSE: NCR) for the manufacturing, installation and co-marketing of free on-line Internet-driven kiosks.
Since TownPagesNet.com's initial public offering, the Company has concentrated on creating the infrastructure to enable the efficient roll-out of 3,500 Internet-driven kiosks as a key element of
their overall online strategy. The kiosks will offer broad access to on-line information by UK residents. Currently approximately 18% of the UK population is hooked up to the Internet.
TownPages has commissioned NCR Limited to build and maintain TownPages' national network of 3,500 kiosks. The agreement also contains an exclusive co-marketing arrangement between TownPages and NCR Limited. The kiosks will become a regular feature of major towns and cities across the UK, creating the first on-line grid that delivers free information around the clock in
public access locations.
Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs, Managing Director of TownPages, commented, "This deal follows the recent announcement by Photo Me plc (LSE: PHTM) in conjunction with British Telecom plc (LSE: BT/A) that they plan to install internet facilities in 1,000 of their Passport Photo Booths. Unlike Photo Me, however, we do nor charge users for accessing our service."
"Our new relationship with NCR is a vital component in our company's overall strategy to be the UK's leading provider of free on-line information for everyone", continued Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs. "In order to deliver on a large-scale project, it was critical that we enter into a partnership with an organization that has impeccable credentials. NCR is such a company."
"The Partnership between ourselves and NCR marks a significant milestone in the on-going development of UK providers of on-line information. Together, I am confident that we will create a
network that delivers unrivalled geographical coverage and an exceptional range of services."
NCR, a leader in on-line kiosk and Automated Tell Machine (ATM) technology, will manufacture the kiosks at one of its sites in Dundee, Scotland. Based on easy-to-use touch screen technology,
the kiosks will, in the near future, boast print facilities and credit card readers - in preparation for the introduction of additional TownPages e-commerce services.
"We have chosen NCR because it is a major player on both the national and international stage", added Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs. "With NCR pool of skills and resources at our disposal, we know
we will have a stable and robust platform for our kiosk network."
Dan Harrington, NCR Vice President for Northern Europe, echoed Mr. Lynden-Skeggs comments: "We are very excited to be working with TownPages on this project", he said. It offers
us the opportunity to shown our strengths as a one-stop shop that has significant design capabilities and full maintenance programs."
The agreement with NCR is the fourth major deal signed by TownPages in the last month. The Company Recently acquired leading Internet company WWW.CO.UK Ltd. (www,cinemas-on-line.com) and has signed letters of intent to acquire Morbria Ltd. (www.graphicpalette.co.uk) and Bowden Publishing (www.buyersguide.co.uk).
TownPages offers local and national information through its Internet website (www.TownPages.co.uk) and its fast-growing network of free-access public information kiosks. The extensive content provides detailed information on 1,300 UK towns and cities.
The town-by-town information includes, in depth community information provided by local authorities, news and events, tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants, public transport timetables,
entertainment listings, sport, weather, business and professional services, and more. TownPages plans to introduce other interactive services, such as free e-mail over the coming months.
Surfers can also tap into TownPages' ever-expanding range of national channels to access in-depth information on a particular topic as well as e-commerce capabilities. Current national
services include, among others, cars, property listings and a job search facility. TownPages i currently developing an education channel and an equestrian channel, both of which are scheduled for launching in the fall. Other channels to follow include shopping, travel, health, heritage, sport and more.
TownPages encourages loyalty to these channels by incorporating familiar user feature across the range, together with interactive features, such as expert advice on particular topics, chat
rooms, message boards and other services.
"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release
contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not
limited to, the impact of competitive products and pricing, product demand and market
acceptance, reliance on key strategic alliances, fluctuations in operating results and other risks
detailed fromtime to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Copyright (C) 1999 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
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CONTACT: TownPages
A. Lyndon-Skeggs
011-44 1420 543468
or
Countrywide
Mike Rigby
011-44 1295 224400
or
H.L. LANZET, INC.
Herbert Lanzet/DeeDee Lanzet
212/687-0061
Lanzet@aol.com
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