KINGSTON, N.J. — Allied Brand Services LLC (ABS) has partnered with CBE Inc. to provide petroleum retailers with comprehensive and affordable EMV solutions inside their stores.

Petroleum retailers have to act now, because the payment networks’ liability shift associated with Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) is due to take effect in the United States on Oct. 1, 2015,” said Mike Cerminaro, president of ABS. “Retailers who are not EMV compliant inside their store by that date will expose themselves to the liability shift.”

That means retailers who accept transactions made with EMV-compliant cards while using non-EMV compliant POS devices assume liability for any and all transactions at their store that are found to be fraudulent.

According to Cerminaro, the main driver behind this EMV migration is card-related financial fraud.

The Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) estimates that the annual cost of card fraud in the U.S. retail petroleum industry is growing, and totaled $250 million in 2014. “This is what led ABS to partner with CBE, to offer a fully financed POS solution that helps qualified retailers achieve compliance by providing them with discounted equipment pricing, no money down and low monthly lease payments,” Cerminaro said.

Kim Sellers, POS and security consultant at CBE, said, “Our Verifone RubyCi POS systems meet the unique needs of fast-paced petroleum and convenience-store operations–where quick customer turnaround, ease-of-use, compatible equipment and minimal downtime are imperative.”

According to Sellers, the RubyCi is the latest POS solution offering from VeriFone and is equipped with a functional site controller included in one piece of hardware providing a complete store management system.

“The combination of POS and site controller makes this EMV-ready solution the only one of its kind in the marketplace. Now, petroleum retailers have the ability to consolidate as well as upgrade their operating technology at the same time,” she said.

The implementation of EMV-compliant devices, including POS systems and fuel dispensers, represents a major expense to the entire industry, which is why it is so critical to provide small to medium sized operators with a cost effective and one stop solution to all their EMV equipment upgrade needs. In addition to the Liability Shift for petroleum retailers inside the store, they must also become EMV compliant in their forecourt via their fuel dispensers by October 1, 2017.

“Financing the capital investment needed to become EMV compliant can be a concern for store owners, so we wanted to provide a solution through our preferred financing partner, ABS,” Sellers added.

“The requirements for EMV compliance are complex and expensive, requiring chip-enabled terminals inside the store, compatible data transmission lines and equipment upgrades in the forecourt,” Cerminaro said. “ABS can help retailers understand what’s involved in all these upgrades, how to implement them most efficiently and cost-effectively, and provide the necessary financing. We provide CBE qualified clients up to 100% financing and other favorable terms for the purchase of new VeriFone RubyCi and Commander POS systems, including the total cost of site survey, installation and applicable sales tax.”

Kingston, N.J.-based ABS is a leading specialty equipment finance company focused exclusively on the retail petroleum industry. It is a preferred financing partner of VP Racing Fuels, Brenntag North America for its bulk diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) equipment program and a variety of equipment manufacturers, independent gas distributors and jobbers.

Atlanta-based CBE is an industry leader in point-of-sale (POS) solutions and security products with the expertise to develop systems based on specific business environments. While many of its customers are part of the c-store industry, its client base includes restaurants, clothing stores and specialty shops. It is one of the largest distributors and installers of Verifone POS systems in the country.