NEWS RELEASE- Valu-net is selling Wayne Gretzky cards in Japan...
Valu-net Launches Wayne Gretzky Phone Card Program in Japan
David Lucatch, President and CEO of Valu-net Corporation ("Valu-net"), announced that Valu-net, in
conjunction with the National Hockey League, Team Canada and Dentsu Inc. of Japan, an International
Communications firm, have initiated a Japanese phone card program bearing the images of NHL
Superstar, Wayne Gretzky.
Under the terms of the Agreement and to coincide with hockey events during the 1998 Olympic Winter
Games, Valu-net supplied Dentsu Inc. with images of Wayne Gretzky which were used to manufacture
Prepaid Phone Cards, exclusively for the Japanese market. The initial production run was limited to 999
two (2) card sets. One card depicts Wayne Gretzky in his Team Canada uniform, while the other shows
him wearing his New York Rangers uniform. A further 99 promotional sets will also be produced. Dentsu
Inc., who is responsible for all marketing activities in Japan, have indicated that, given the strong
demand for these cards, they expect all the sets to be completely sold out before the end of February,
1998.
David Lucatch, President and CEO of Valu-net Corporation stated; "This introductory offer of Wayne
Gretzky Phone Cards to the Japanese marketplace opens the doors to future business opportunities
with the National Hockey League, particularly in the area of international marketing of products and
services. The scale of this undertaking and the speed with which it was accomplished, is a testament to
the high degree of cooperation we received from all concerned."
Valu-net Corporation, with operations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, is a New Media
corporation whose business is electronic commerce and marketing on the Internet. By working with
leading financial institutions and technology companies, Valu-net has developed a bank endorsed
"virtual" retailing system that is secure for both consumers and businesses. According to a recent Ernst
and Young study ("Web sites can make money for retailers"), by the year 2000, a staggering 81 percent
of retailers project profitable web sites. The study also predicts that by that date, half of on-line sellers
expect to generate at least 20 percent of their total sales on the Internet. While waiting for this huge
potential market to develop, Valu-net has taken the initiative of launching a niche marketing strategy, in
the professional sports arena, to showcase Internet Marketing and Electronic Commerce opportunities
and to demonstrate that Internet sales/commerce can be conducted profitably and securely.
Valu-net Corporation was posted for trading on The Alberta Stock Exchange on October 16, 1997 under
the symbol "VNE". There are currently 22.25 million common shares issued and outstanding.
Management and insiders collectively hold 78 percent of the issued and outstanding shares and all are
subject to restrictions on release. The public float consists of 4.9 million common shares.
We invite you to visit our web site at www.vncorp.com or
The National Hockey League's web site at www.nhl.com or
Dentsu Inc.'s web site at www.dentsu.co.jp |
