RT-Pepsi putting in credit card, wireless machines.
Cashless Vending Comes to Chicago; U. S. Wireless Data and PepsiAmericas to Install Credit Card-Accepting Machines at Navy Pier and Woodfield Mall
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 2002--U. S. Wireless Data, Inc.
(USWD) (OTC: USWE) and PepsiAmericas (NYSE: PAS) will let you pay with
plastic at Pepsi vending machines at Navy Pier and Woodfield Mall.
The new vending machines will not only accept coins and cash, but
credit cards too, which means consumers will be able to enjoy their
favorite Pepsi beverage even when they are short on change. Initial
plans will place as many as 80 new machines at the two locations. The
machines are an expansion of the wireless vending initiative that
Pepsi started in Memphis last January.
It addition to providing more options for payment, the new
technology also connects vending machines to a wireless network,
allowing PepsiAmericas, the nation's second largest Pepsi bottler, to
go online and view real-time vending machine status. Knowing exactly
when to re-fill their vending machines and provide service will help
PepsiAmericas operate with increased efficiency. For consumers, the
resulting improvements will help ensure that they always find machines
full and in good working order.
"We're optimistic about the upside potential of this expansion,"
said Mark Schafer, vice president of on premise strategy and customer
development of PepsiAmericas. "Not only will we gain real-time insight
about the status of the wireless vending machines, we also hope to
gain incremental sales because customers won't be limited by the cash
on-hand when they want one of the many refreshing beverages Pepsi
offers."
"Our tests in other cities have shown that our Synapse(TM)
wireless technology dramatically improves the vending experience,"
said Dean M. Leavitt, Chairman and CEO of U.S. Wireless Data. "We are
excited to be expanding the program to include one of the largest
Pepsi bottlers in the country."
About PepsiAmericas
PepsiAmericas is the number-two anchor bottler in the Pepsi system
with operations in 18 states as well as Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the
Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland, Hungary, the Czech
Republic and Republic of Slovakia. In total, the company serves an
area with a population of more than 117 million people. PepsiAmericas
manufactures, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of Pepsi-Cola
and other regional brands. PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) holds
approximately a 37.3 percent equity interest in PepsiAmericas. For
more information about PepsiAmericas, please visit
www.pepsiamericas.com.
About U.S. Wireless Data
U.S. Wireless Data (USWD) (OTC: USWE) makes credit card and ATM
transactions faster and more cost effective. USWD connects credit card
processing companies to their merchant clients. Using wireless and
landline technology, USWD provides improved transport, data
translation, and value-added processing. In addition, by enabling
wireless point of sale terminals, USWD adds speed and mobility that
has been unachievable in the past. USWD now handles more than 600
million transactions each year through its centralized computer center
and nationwide network. Further information is available at
www.uswirelessdata.com.
--30--mw/ny*
CONTACT: U.S. Wireless Data, Inc., New York
Daniel Lamb, 212/905-0344
dlamb@uswirelessdata.com
or
(Investor Relations)
Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, New York
William A. Walkowiak, 212/838-3777
william@lhai.com
or
PepsiAmericas, Inc.
Mary Viola, 847/483-6760
Mary.Viola@pepsiamericas.com
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Aug-12-2002 15:55 GMT
Symbols:
US;USWE US;PAS
Source BW Business Wire |
