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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported):

February 24, 2016

ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

7500 DALLAS PARKWAY, SUITE 700

PLANO, TEXAS 75024

(Address and Zip Code of Principal Executive Offices)

(214) 494-3000

(Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code)

NOT APPLICABLE

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the Registrant under any of the following provisions:

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On February 24, 2016, Alliance Data Systems Corporation issued a press release announcing that its Canadian coalition loyalty business, LoyaltyOne, expanded its relationship with Sobeys, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, and will issue AIR MILES® reward miles at 157 Needs Convenience and Sobeys express convenience store locations in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.  A copy of this press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

The information contained in this report (including Exhibit 99.1) shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX

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Exhibit 99.1

 

 

AIR MILES Reward Program to Launch at Needs and Sobeys express Stores in all Atlantic-Canadian Provinces

PLANO, TX (February 24, 2016) - Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, announced that its LoyaltyOne business, operator of its Canadian coalition loyalty business, and Sobeys, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A), will issue AIR MILES reward miles at 157 Needs Convenience and Sobeys express convenience store locations in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

In 2015, Sobeys became the AIR MILES Reward Program's first national grocer to issue reward miles across Canada. Including Needs Convenience and Sobeys express, there are more than 1,200 Sobeys-owned banner retail locations issuing reward miles across Canada.

The AIR MILES Reward Program is Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, with nearly 11 million active Collector Accounts representing approximately two-thirds of all Canadian households. AIR MILES Collectors get reward miles at hundreds of leading brand-name Sponsors representing thousands of retail and service locations across Canada. AIR MILES reward miles can be redeemed for more than 1,200 different rewards, such as travel, movie passes, entertainment attractions, and electronic merchandise. The AIR MILES Cash program option enables Collectors who opt-in the flexibility to instantly redeem their AIR MILES reward miles from their AIR MILES Cash balance in-store toward their purchases at participating Sponsors.

LoyaltyOne^® is a global leader in the design and implementation of coalition loyalty programs, customer analytics and loyalty services for Fortune 1000 clients around the world. LoyaltyOne's unparalleled track record delivering sustained business performance improvement for clients stems from its unique combination of hands-on practitioner experience and continuous thought leadership. LoyaltyOne has over 20 years' history leveraging data-driven insights to develop and operate some of the world's most effective loyalty programs and customer-centric solutions. These include the AIR MILES^® Reward Program, North America's premier coalition loyalty program; a majority stake in European-based BrandLoyalty, one of the largest and most successful campaign-driven loyalty marketers outside of the Americas; and a working partnership with Latin America's leading coalition program, dotz. LoyaltyOne is also the owner of COLLOQUY, a group dedicated to research, publishing and education for the global loyalty industry.

Alliance Data^® (NYSE: ADS) is a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions serving large, consumer-based industries. The Company creates and deploys customized solutions, enhancing the critical customer marketing experience; the result is measurably changing consumer behavior while driving business growth and profitability for some of today's most recognizable brands. Alliance Data helps its clients create and increase customer loyalty through solutions that engage millions of customers each day across multiple touch points using traditional, digital, mobile and emerging technologies. An S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company headquartered in Plano, Texas, Alliance Data consists of three businesses that together employ more than 16,000 associates at approximately 100 locations worldwide.

Alliance Data's card services business is a leading provider of marketing-driven branded credit card programs. Epsilon^® is a leading provider of multichannel, data-driven technologies and marketing services, and also includes Conversant^®, a leader in personalized digital marketing. LoyaltyOne^® owns and operates the AIR MILES^® Reward Program, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, and holds a majority interest in Netherlands-based BrandLoyalty, a global provider of tailor-made loyalty programs for grocers.

Follow Alliance Data on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements give our expectations or forecasts of future events and can generally be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "project," "plan," "likely," "may," "should" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements.

We believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking statements, however, are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release, and no assurances can be given that our expectations will prove to have been correct. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, factors set forth in the Risk Factors section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year, which may be updated in Item 1A of, or elsewhere in, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed for periods subsequent to such Form 10-K.

Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation, other than as required by applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events, anticipated or unanticipated circumstances or otherwise.

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