TSYS Signs One of America's Leading Specialty Apparel Retailers
Charming Shoppes to Convert 13 Million Fashion Bug Private-label Cards
COLUMBUS, Ga., Jan. 17, 2002 -- TSYS® (NYSE: TSS) has signed a multiyear agreement to process 13 million Fashion Bug private-label card accounts for Charming Shoppes, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHRS), one of the leading specialty apparel retailers in America. TSYS will also provide customer care services for the Fashion Bug portfolio, which is scheduled for conversion in February.
Charming Shoppes, based in Bensalem, Pa., operates nearly 2,500 stores across the country, specializing in plus-size fashions for women. The Charming Shoppes retail family includes Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Catherine's Stores, Added Dimension, Monsoon and Accessorize. Charming Shoppes' Fashion Bug proprietary card program ranks 16th in the nation. See Charming Shoppes on the Web at http://www.charmingshoppes.com. TSYS is the largest processor of private-label cards in North America, serving the portfolios of some of North America's largest and best-known retail companies.
About TSYS:
TSYS (http://www.tsys.com ) brings integrity and innovation to the world of electronic payments. TSYS serves as the integral link between buyers and sellers in the rapidly evolving universe of electronic payments. With more than 218 million accounts on file, TSYS makes it possible for millions of consumers to use their credit, debit, stored value, commercial, smart and retail cards anytime, anywhere through any medium or portal. TSYS and its family of companies offer a full range of acquiring and issuing services from
accepting and settling electronic payments for goods and services to credit pplications, bankruptcy and collections. Based in Columbus, Ga., TSYS serves companies in 23 countries, 14 currencies and four languages. TSYS maintains operations in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the United Kingdom and is an 81.1-percent owned subsidiary of Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) (http://www.synovus.com ), No. 8 on FORTUNE magazine's list of "The 100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2001. For more information, contact news@tsys.com.
Contacts:
Danita Gibson-Lloyd
Corporate Communications Director
706.649.5578
dglloyd@tsys.com
Eric S. Bruner
Media Relations
706.644.8457
ebruner@tsys.com
Leo S. Berard
TSYS Investor Relations
706.644.6081
leoberard@synovus.com