Loyalty Giant launches "Sweeter Rewards"

Loyalty Management Group (LMG) the company behind Nectar, the UK's largest loyalty programme, has implemented flexible benefits for its employees in conjunction with thomsons online benefits.

The scheme entitled “Sweeter Rewards” was launched to give employees a clear understanding of their existing benefits, and the opportunity to amend their package to suit their own individual needs.

Gabrielle de Wardener, LMG's Human Resources Director, explains: “As a business we pioneer consumer loyalty and reward programmes and therefore it is important that our employees have an equally cutting-edge employee benefit package.

“Although we already provided good benefits, most employees did not know their full value. We were not offering the flexibility and tax efficiencies that would turn a good package into a great one.”

LMG reviewed a number of providers in the market before selecting thomsons online benefits. Gabrielle de Wardener continues: “We wanted to find a provider who excelled in both consultancy and technology to ensure that our flex implementation was a painless process. Importantly they also needed to understand and fit with our business. For us, thomsons online benefits ticked all these boxes”.

To develop the benefit brand and communication material, LMG wanted to draw on the strength of the Nectar brand. The Nectar logo was adapted to incorporate “Sweeter Rewards” and the launch communication material issued to employees was designed to replicate the Nectar point update statements sent to members.

Employees are offered the ability to spend up to 20% of their salary on flexible benefits, salary sacrifice options on their pension and childcare vouchers, along side a range of employee offers benefits including discounted car rental, eye care, video/DVD rental and wine.

Gabrielle de Wardener comments:”Engagement with Sweeter Rewards has been high and a post-implementation survey of staff showed that more than 80% understood their benefits package better as a result of the launch. At the same time, this as an evolving project, not just a one-off or once-a-year event. We'll be adding new features, benefits and offers throughout the year, such as tax free bicycles and home computer options which come on stream in April 2006.”

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About Loyalty Management Group (LMG)

Loyalty Management Group (LMG) is a privately held company. There are three companies within LMG, Loyalty Management UK (LMUK) which runs the Nectar programme in the UK, Loyalty Management Services (LMS), who provide specialist data management services, and Loyalty Management International (LMI), who provide loyalty expertise and management, internationally.

About Nectar

Nectar is the largest loyalty programme in the UK with 50% of all UK households participating in the programme.
Nectar is the ONLY true coalition loyalty programme to operate in the UK. Sixteen companies (known as sponsors) have joined Nectar and the number of sponsors will continue to grow.
Currently a Nectar collector shopping across all sponsors could earn points on 40% of their annual household expenditure.

About thomsons online benefits

thomsons online benefits was founded in 2000 to revolutionise the way that benefits are administered and communicated. They have won the following awards "Corporate Adviser of the Year" in the Money Marketing Financial Services Awards 2004 and 2005, "Most Effective Use of an International Benefits Strategy" in the Employee Benefits Awards 2004, "Advanced Supply Chain Integration" National Innovation category and "E-business" for London region in the DTI Ecommerce Awards 2004. thomsons online benefits is an appointed representative of AWD Consultancy Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Further information can be found at www.thomsonsonlinebenefits.com

For more information contact:

Caroline O'Keeffe
Tel: 020 7802 5855
Email: press@t-bx.com