Safeway, Excentus settle over gas rewards program

Pleasanton, Calif. Safeway and Excentus Corp said on Wednesday that they have settled all outstanding litigation between them and entered into a settlement and licensing agreement.

Excentus sued Safeway in June, alleging the grocery chain wrongly used the privately held company's patents and other intellectual property to develop Safeway's PowerPump gasoline rewards program.

"We are glad to have been able to work with Safeway to execute an agreement that works for both of us and opens up the opportunity to work together on what is best for their customers going forward," Excentus CEO Dickson Perry said in a statement.

Safeway said it looks forward to "exploring ways to work together on fuel rewards."

Further terms of the agreement and settlement were not disclosed.

When it filed the suit, Excentus said that Safeway wrongfully used trade secrets and confidential information belonging to Excentus to develop PowerPump Rewards.

Safeway's PowerPump Rewards program gave customers discounts on gasoline at certain gas stations after they reached a specific level of spending on groceries or gift cards. Excentus' fuel rewards, called fuelperks, offers fuel discounts based on spending.