(Irving, Texas - November 14, 2001) - American Retail Corporation, which
operates three Chevron locations and one Arco location in Tucson, Arizona,
announced today the signing of a long-term agreement for Brink's CompuSafeŽ
Service, an electronic cash handling service developed to provide greater
convenience and security for cash intensive retail operations.
Brink's CompuSafe Service provides improved security and accuracy for cash
transactions from the time a customer pays to the time the money is deposited in
the bank and completely eliminates the manual re-counting of cash deposits or
safe drops on site at these retail locations.
"In the past, we had given serious consideration to CompuSafe Service. After
having experienced a life-threatening hold-up personally, we realized how
priceless good security is," said Lea Peterson, President of American Retail
Corporation. "Now we enjoy the peace of mind that CompuSafe Service provides our
employees."
"Also, before installation, we were a little concerned about the ease-of-use,
but our employees have found that the CompuSafe unit is very easy to operate and
offers great reporting."
When store employees insert currency into the CompuSafe unit, it reads and
validates the bills, placing them in secure cassettes. Brink's collects the
sealed containers and transports them to a Brink's currency room where the
deposits are verified and combined with deposits from all American Retail
Corporation's locations. Brink's then deposits the money to the company's bank.
Perhaps most important, because Brink's controls the entire process, the
potential of theft or discrepancies is minimized and Brink's can guarantee its
clients that the amount of cash reported in the cassettes when picked up will be
deposited to their bank account.
"After experiencing an armed robbery first-hand, American Retail Corporation
really appreciates the security of Brink's closed loop system," said Glenn
Mason, vice president of Brink's CompuSafe Service.
Brink's developed its CompuSafe Service after listening to many operations, loss
prevention and treasury executives in the convenience store and gasoline
marketers industry. The solution offers Brink's service every step of the way,
from the safes and armored transportation to the on-site maintenance and
nationwide electronic reporting.
American Retail Corporation was founded by Dan and Lea Peterson in 1996. With
revenues exceeding $15 million annually and with 35 employees, American Retail
Corporation is well on its way to becoming one of Arizona's largest
petroleum/c-store retailers.
Brink's, Inc. founded in 1859, is the largest provider of armored services in
the world with over 150 facilities in the United States and a global network
that spans over 50 countries. CompuSafe Service was introduced by Brink's in
1996.
For more information on Brink's CompuSafe Service, please call 1-800-BRINKS-5 or
visit www.brinksinc.com/compusafeservice.