Blackhawk Takes iTunes to South Africa (Dec. 16, 2013)
Blackhawk Network Inc., a global prepaid payment network, last Friday announced its first commercial agreement in Africa, which will enable it to offer iTunes Gift Cards in South Africa through a partnership with Johannesburg-based distributor Opengate, a subsidiary of Value+Nettwork.
Blackhawk Network, which is now in 19 countries, says the partnership with Opengate demonstrates the company’s interest in emerging markets. The iTunes Gift Cards are expected to be available nationally in more than 700 stores across 10 leading retail chains, including the Walmart division Massmart and its three brands; Makro, Game and Dion Wired; as well as Pick n Pay, a leading supermarket chain; electronics retailer Incredible Connection and CNA. The cards also will be sold through iStore and Digicape, official Apple Premium Resellers, according to an announcement.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with Opengate for our entry into this exciting market. This launch continues Blackhawk’s global expansion and speaks volumes about future prospects of prepaid products in South Africa,” said Jim Strabo, managing director EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Blackhawk Network. The companies plan to work together to secure additional global brands for multichannel distribution in South Africa.
Earlier this month, Blackhawk announced its acquisition of German third-party distributor Retalio AG, which added more than 40,000 locations to Blackhawk’s total EMEA retail distribution network.
