Couche-Tard, Kohl's Join Merchant Customer Exchange

COPPELL, Texas -- Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) announced that Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.'s Circle K Stores Inc. and Kohl's Department Stores are the latest retailers to join its ranks. These two additions follow May's new member announcement that included Phillips 66, Southwest Airlines and Brinker International Inc., among others.

Kohl's and Couche-Tard rank No. 20 and No. 76, respectively, on the National Retail Federation's list of the top 100 merchants by revenue. This means MCX now counts eight of the top 20 and more than 20 percent of the top 100 merchants as members. Collectively, MCX's 30-plus merchants operate nearly 90,000 stores and process more than $1 trillion in payments annually. A more thorough list of participating merchants can be found on the MCX website.

MCX also reported today that it has selected FIS, the world's largest provider of banking and payments technology, to provide a suite of services that will help bring its much-anticipated mobile commerce solution to the marketplace. FIS will provide MCX with world-class payment processing, routing and settlement for mobile commerce transactions.

FIS' technology will seamlessly integrate with the mobile wallet software being developed for MCX by Gemalto. By leveraging FIS' payments network infrastructure to authorize and execute transactions in real-time, MCX said it is dedicated to secure and instantaneous payments for the solution. MCX will also offer consumers a personalized payment experience complete with offers, promotions, loyalty and other services.

"A growing list of America's favorite brands, including Kohl's, Southwest Airlines, Chili's Grill & Bar and so many others, along with our elite technology partners FIS and Gemalto, are the latest signs of strong momentum as MCX brings a widely accepted, securely delivered and customer-focused mobile payment solution to the marketplace," said MCX executive Dodd Roberts.

Founded in 2012, Merchant Customer Exchange seeks to lead the shift to mobile payments. MCX's owner-members include leaders in the big-box, convenience, drug, fuel, grocery, quick- and full-service dining, specialty retail and travel categories, giving MCX unparalleled scale and ubiquity within the mobile payments industry. The company is based in Coppell, Texas.