Schnucks today announced that it has entered the online photofinishing business
by leveraging technology and services from LifePics and Qualex, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Kodak. LifePics will provide the online software solution while Qualex will perform
wholesale photofinishing services for Schnucks. Customers will be able to order
from home and pick up their prints at any of Schnucks' 101 stores.
"The combination of LifePics and Qualex was very easy to implement and yet
it gave us the best online solution combined with superb photofinishing capabilities,"
said Denis Oldani, Director of Photo Services for Schnucks. "We are also very
excited to be able to offer photo gifts, templates, and a number of other creative
products for sale online."
"By working with LifePics, we have tightly linked the Schnucks online site
to our state-of-the-art photofinishing labs," said Bill Jones, Business Development
Manager for Qualex. "For example, we typically begin downloading orders to
our labs within minutes after the order is placed. When you couple this tight integration
with the Kodak Perfect Touch capabilities of our labs, the customer gets a superior
product."
"Schnucks has a fantastic reputation in the Mid-West," said Vahe Christianian,
V.P. of Sales and Business Development at LifePics. "We are delighted to work
with Schnucks and Qualex to deliver an end-to-end solution for accepting online
photofinishing orders from home."
LifePics is the market leader in online imaging solutions for photofinishers and
professional photographers. Using LifePics' technology, photofinishers and professional
photographers are able to accept orders from consumers via the Internet and send
those orders directly to a photofinishing lab that is most convenient to the consumer.
More retailers use LifePics than any other online imaging solution. LifePics' customers
range from mass merchants and large food and drug chains to local camera shops and
independent photofinishers. These retailers offer the service at more than 4,000
stores across the U.S. and Canada. LifePics works closely with these retailers to
help them build their online photo businesses.
LifePics is an open solution that works with a variety of photo software providers
and photo web sites. In addition, the service supports a number of different print
options - orders can be sent directly to stores for 1-hour service or routed to
major wholesalers, gift providers, photo book manufacturers or a variety of other
printers.
For more information, visit LifePics at www.lifepics.com.
Founded in St. Louis in 1939, Schnuck Markets, Inc. currently operates 101 grocery stores and 98 pharmacies in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Mississippi and Iowa.
Qualex Inc. is one of the largest wholesale photofinishing companies in the world. Qualex offers traditional print and digital output solutions by operating a large network of commercial labs throughout the United States and Canada . The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Kodak and is headquartered in Durham, NC . Qualex and Kodak are continuously researching, designing, and implementing innovative output technologies that allow consumers to enjoy their pictures and images in ways never before imagined.
