Sir, - You were kind enough to refer in your editorial on retailing (June 17th) to Superquinn's customer loyalty scheme, SuperClub, as a European first which had been copied as far away as Brazil, Those references were correct, but perhaps I might amplify them following the letter from the distinguished ambassador of Brazil (June 21st).
Loyalty schemes of one kind or another are nearly as old as the hills, but before the latest technology they were either passing fads or irritatingly clumsy for both retailer and customer.technology to create a user- friendly card scheme that could become a permanent factor in deepening customer relationships.
This was indeed a European retailing first and it was indeed copied in Brazil. SuperClub caught the attention of many supermarket operators worldwide, including the president of the Brazilian group Bompreco, Joao Carlos Mendonca. He came to Ireland to see SuperClub in action, then asked us to help duplicate it in Brazil. Bompreco executives came here to study the scheme and Frank Murphy, one of our directors, visited Recife. Reflecting the vast size of the Brazilian market, Bomclube is now much bigger than the Irish version that give birth to it.
This is a win-win for entrepreneurs in both countries, and certainly nothing for any Brazilian resident of Ireland to feel defensive about. For our part, we in Superquinn are delighted that SuperClub is the latest in the long history of links between Ireland and Brazil. - Yours, etc.,
Managing Director,
Superquinn,
Sutton Cross,
Dublin 13.