Interac Association and Retail Council of Canada Announce Top Applicant of 2014 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program

TORONTO, June 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Interac Association and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) are pleased to announce the name of the top applicant of the 2014 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program, a program that honours students entering or enrolled in a business, marketing or retail-related program at a Canadian post-secondary institution.

Jennifer Fraser, currently enrolled at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC, is the winner of the $5,000 scholarship, funded by Interac Association.

Ms. Fraser was one of 25 post-secondary students from across the country awarded $1,000 scholarships to assist in their pursuit of retail as a career. Scholarships were awarded at the Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala Dinner in Toronto - as part of STORE 2014 — Canada's Retail Conference. Interac Association awarded an additional $5,000 scholarship to the top applicant among the 25 finalists.

"Interac Association is proud to call the Retail Council of Canada an industry partner and we're pleased to continue our support of the Retail as a Career Scholarship Program," said Mark O'Connell, CEO & President, Interac Association. "Congratulations to Jennifer Fraser on her winning submission and we wish her the best of luck in her educational and professional pursuits."

Now in its eleventh year, the Retail as a Career scholarship program has awarded more than $650,000 in scholarships and award benefits to students who demonstrate a strong commitment to the future of retail. The Retail as a Career Scholarship Program continues to grow each year, both in the number of applicants and in the number of retailers who provide the additional funding needed to increase the number of scholarships available.

"We thank Interac Association for its ongoing support of this important award. Their generous contribution will help Ms. Fraser in her pursuit of a career in retail," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada.  "I also want to thank all of the sponsors of the scholarship program for their support, which will help students further their education and develop the skills required to succeed in retail."

About Retail Council of Canada
Retail Council of Canada is the Voice of Retail in Canada. Founded in 1963, RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association representing more than 45,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent stores, and online merchants. We speak for an industry that touches the daily lives of Canadians in every corner of the country — by providing jobs, career opportunities, and by investing in communities.

About Interac Association

A recognized world leader in debit card services, Interac Association is responsible for the development and operations of the Interac^® network, a national payment network that allows Canadians to access their money through Interac Cash at 60,000 Automated Banking Machines and Interac Debit at 766,000 point-of-sale terminals across Canada. Interac Flash^®, a secure contactless enhancement of Interac Debit, allows Canadians to pay for items instantly with their Interac chip debit card at a reader that supports Interac Flash. Interac Association was founded in 1984 and is comprised of a diverse membership that includes banks, trust companies, credit unions, caisses populaires, merchants, and technology and payment related companies.

Other related services offered by Acxsys Corporation, whose shareholders are the architects of the Interac network, include: Interac Online, for secure online payments made directly from a bank account; Interac e-Transfer^®, for the secure online transfer of money from one person's bank account to another person's bank account, and international services, which provide Canadian cardholders with point-of-sale access at nearly 2 million U.S. retailers, and PULSE, Discover, Diners Club International and UnionPay cardholders access to ABMs in Canada.

®: Interac, Interac Flash and Interac e-Transfer are trade-marks of Interac Inc. Used under license.

SOURCE: Retail Council of Canada

For further information:

Colin Asuncion
Retail Council of Canada
[e-mail]
416-467-3782