ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΣΗ ΤΥΠΟΥ-PRN-Western Union Financial Services Inc.

   Source: Western Union Financial Services Inc.

    Reference: EDB1012035

   

    Western Union Celebrates Opening of 200,000th Agent Location in Athens, Greece by Honoring Athletic Record Breakers

   

   

    In the news release, "Western Union Celebrates Opening of 200,000th Agent

    Location in Athens, Greece by Honoring Athletic Record Breakers" issued on

    31 Aug 2004 07:00, by Western Union Financial Services Inc. NYSE:FDC over

    PR Newswire, we are advised by a representative of the company that

    [In the last sentence of the first paragraph, please change "...an Olympic

    record.." to".. a national record..."] as originally issued inadvertently.

    Complete, corrected release follows:

   

   

   

   

   

   

    - A Global Leader in Money Transfer Reaches Unprecedented Business

    Milestone

   

   

   

    Western Union Financial Services Inc. together with its subsidiary

    Orlandi Valuta today announced the opening of its 200,000th global agent

    location with a ceremony in Athens, Greece. A wholly owned subsidiary of

    First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), Western Union celebrated this business

    milestone by hosting two Olympic medal winning Greek athletes, Hrysopiyi

    Devetzi and Ilias Iliadis. Devetzi took a silver medal in the triple jump and

    set a national record in the early rounds of competition. Iliadis captured

    the gold in judo, the first Greek in history to do so. Together Western Union

    and its subsidiary Orlandi Valuta make up one of the world's largest money

    transfer networks, with Agent locations in more than 195 countries and

    territories -- more than four times the total number of McDonald's, Starbucks

    and Carrefour locations combined.

   

   

    Devetzi and Iliadis joined Western Union President Christina Gold at the

    new Agent location on Omonia Square. This location is one of seven opened

    simultaneously in Athens by Christopher C. Varvias & Associates S.A., which

    operates a network of nearly 600 Western Union Agent locations throughout

    Greece.

   

   

    "Western Union is dedicated to serving its customers in the communities

    where they live and work. Reaching 200,000 Agent locations is a significant

    milestone not only for us, but we are yet another step closer to making it

    even more convenient for our customers to find us where they need us," said

    Gold. "What better way to commemorate this significant business

    accomplishment than by joining with these athletes to celebrate their

    extraordinary achievements."

   

   

    "I am thrilled to be here to celebrate the tremendous achievements of

    Greek athletics and Western Union," said Devetzi. "With its significant

    presence here in Greece and around the world, Western Union is meeting an

    important need for the millions of people who are supporting their families

    from afar."

   

   

    The expansion of the Western Union Agent network demonstrates the

    continued international growth of this First Data business. The Payments

    Services division of First Data, which includes Western Union, contributes

    nearly 40 percent of the company's revenues. It also reinforces First Data's

    leadership in seamlessly and securely moving money around the world. As a

    global company, First Data anticipates that approximately one-third of its

    total revenues will be derived from international operations by 2007.

   

   

    "Nestled in the heart of Southeastern Europe, Greece is an important

    marketplace for both Western Union and First Data," said Constantine Varvias,

    managing director-Christopher C. Varvias & Associates S.A., one of the major

    Western Union Agents in Greece. "We are delighted that here in Athens where

    the Olympic spirit was born and traveled throughout the world, that Western

    Union celebrates the opening of its 200,000th Agent location. This is

    symbolic of the company's commitment to growing the business here and beyond

    the Greek borders by continuing to meet the needs of a very diverse consumer

    population."

   

   

    This announcement underscores First Data's commitment to the

    international marketplace, specifically Southeastern Europe. In July 2004, it

    completed the acquisition of Delta Singular Outsourcing Services, an Athens

    based company that provides payment-processing services throughout Greece,

    the Middle East and the Balkans. The acquisition marked one of the largest

    foreign investments in the Greek marketplace in the past three years, which

    added 900 employees to the First Data family and two offices in Greece.

   

   

    According to the United Nations, more than 175 million people live

    outside their country of birth. First Data and Western Union recognize that

    the ability to send money home to friends and loved ones quickly, reliably

    and conveniently is an essential need to be met. First Data addresses this

    need by providing fast, secure and reliable payment solutions to millions of

    businesses and consumers worldwide. Western Union completed 81 million

    consumer-to-consumer money transfers transactions in 2003.

   

   

   

    About Western Union Financial Services, Inc. and First Data

   

   

    Western Union Financial Services, Inc., a subsidiary of First Data Corp.

    (NYSE: FDC), is an international leader in consumer money transfer services.

    Consumers can quickly and reliably pay bills and transfer money around the

    globe using the company's proprietary money transfer network. Western Union

    and its subsidiary, Orlandi Valuta, together make up one of the world's

    largest money transfer networks with approximately 200,000 Agent locations in

    more than 195 countries and territories. Famous for its pioneering telegraph

    service, the original Western Union dates back to 1851 and introduced

    electronic money transfer service in 1871. For more information, please visit

    the company's Web site at .

   

   

   

    First Data Corp., with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the

    global economy. Serving approximately 3.5 million merchant locations, 1,400

    card issuers and millions of consumers, First Data makes it easy, fast and

    secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services, using virtually

    any form of payment: credit, debit, private-label smart card, stored-value

    card or check at the point-of-sale, over the Internet or by money transfer.

    For more information, please visit the company's Web site at

    .

   

   

   

   

    Web site:

   

   

   

   

   

   

    Source: Western Union Financial Services Inc.

   

    Denver, Wendy Carver-Herbert, +1-303-967-6416, or Hong Kong, Rosemarie Yau, +852-3405-8000, both of Western Union; or London, Kim Friedman or Jessica Bennion, both of Manning, Selvage & Lee, +44-207-878-3000, for Western Union; or Investors, David Banks of First Data Corp., +1-303-967-8057

   

   

   

   

Λεπτομέρειες στη συνδρομητική σελίδα του ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ | Αίτηση Συνδρομητή