News & views

19 June 2008

First Rate delivers Post Office^® Bureau de Change service to WHSmith branches

First Rate Exchange Services is supporting the Post Office^® in extending its market leading foreign exchange service to 50 WHSmith branches across the UK.

As the wholesaler behind the Post Office^®’s travel money services First Rate will ensure that the Post Office^® kiosks in WHSmith branches are fully stocked to provide a wide range of great value on-demand foreign exchange services, including foreign currency notes and traveller’s cheques.

Gordon Gourlay, Managing Director, First Rate said: “In an increasingly competitive market it’s vital that foreign exchange retailers provide their customers with not just great value, but also easy to access foreign exchange services. We’re delighted to be supporting the Post Office^® in extending its market leading offer to even more customers through these new kiosks in WHSmith branches.”

The Post Office^® Bureau de Change kiosks will be located in high street and shopping centre WHSmith stores. Most will be open seven days a week and close later than traditional bureaux* giving travellers even more time to get prepared for their overseas trips. The kiosks are set to open at a rate of five per week, with all 50 branches being fully operational by the Autumn.

First Rate is the UK’s leading provider of foreign exchange services. In addition to providing the Post Office^® with its in branch and online foreign exchange services First Rate delivers a wide range of innovative white labelled foreign exchange services to businesses large and small across the UK.

First Rate’s Travel Money Online solution provides high street and online retailers with a fully integrated online platform, allowing them to offer their customers access to over 70 currencies, notes and travellers cheques, currency advice and secure online payment. First Rate’s Travel Money Online service also allows customers to select their required delivery date, with orders received before 3pm available for delivery the next business day to addresses across the UK.

Note to Editors:

* Stores close at 8pm

Kiosks are currently open in the following locations. The remaining kiosks will open over the next few weeks; more information on the locations of these is available on request.

Brent Cross, London Exeter Meadowhall, Sheffield Taunton Cribbs Causeway, Bristol Cambridge Holborn Circus, London White Rose, Leeds Salisbury East Kilbride Lincoln

Merry Hill, Dudley Kingston-upon-Thames Chester Nottingham Victoria Plymouth Solihull Ipswich Guildford Weymouth Hastings

Trafford Park Belfast Thurrock Tunbridge Wells Oxford Reading Bluewater Park Bristol Galleries Argyle Street, Glasgow Hereford

About First Rate Foreign Exchange Services:

First Rate is the UK’s leading provider of foreign currency services supplying over 13,000 retail outlets with a foreign currency service. It is the UK’s biggest foreign currency notes supplier and Europe’s major provider of traveller’s cheques and in the top five globally. First Rate sources currency through its associate business unit Bank of Ireland First Currency Services, one of the world’s leading wholesale currency operations.

First Rate can provide UK retailers and businesses with the following foreign currency services:

• Travel Money Online – a service enabling the ordering of foreign currency notes and traveller’s cheques securely via First Rate’s white label internet application
• Bulk provision of currency for currency retailers
• End-to-end consumer order processing – totally outsourced, white label currency solutions for phone, internet or retail outlet order placement

To find out more visit www.firstrate.co.uk.

For further information, please contact:

Four Countries Communications
Ruth Barker
Tel: 0207 749 9219
Mobile: 07814 571128
Email: ruth@fourcountries.co.uk

Bank of Ireland UK Financial Services
Sandra Grandison
Tel: 0207 634 3477
Mobile: 07912 298013
Email: sandra.grandison@boiuk.com

First Rate Exchange Services Ltd is registered in the UK and Supervised by HM Revenue & Customs for Money Service Business (MSB): License number 12133160. First Rate is a joint venture between The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland (Registered in Ireland and passported into the UK for regulatory purposes) and the Post Office^® Ltd. The Bank of Ireland is authorised by the Irish Financial Regulator and the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of business in the UK. Bank of Ireland First Currency Services is a division of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland.

Post Office Ltd. Registered in England and Wales no: 2154540. Registered Office: 80-86 Old Street, London, EC1V 9NN. The Post Office and the Post Office symbol are registered trade marks of Post Office Ltd.

Post Office Ltd is an appointed representative of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland, which is authorised by the Irish Financial Regulator and the Financial Services Authority; regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of UK business. Bank of Ireland, incorporated in the Republic of Ireland with limited liability. Registered in England and Wales with branch number BR000459.

Card Account offered by J.P. Morgan Europe Ltd through Post Office Ltd. J.P. Morgan Europe Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 938937. Registered Office: 125 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5AJ.