GNX ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF QSA LTD.
Move expands GNX’s footprint in grocery product development and data management for retail and consumer goods manufacturing industries.
San Francisco, CA – April 5, 2004 – GlobalNetXchange (GNX), a leading e-business solution and service provider for the global retail industry, has acquired QSA Ltd., the leading provider of product development and data software solutions for the food and grocery industry. UK-based QSA is the technology provider for GNX’s Product Development Solution for private label grocery products.
GNX purchased QSA in an all-cash transaction that closed on March 25, 2004. This marks the company’s first acquisition to increase its product portfolio and drive greater competitive differentiation. GNX can now more efficiently develop new and sophisticated product development and PDM (Product Data Management) functionality that, in combination with GNX’s professional services, allows the company to better serve the needs of its retail customers. The integration of QSA’s manufacturing solutions into the GNX portfolio also allows the company to serve the mission-critical product development and specifications management needs of consumer goods manufacturers.
QSA’s market-leading ProductVine, Enterprise and Specifications solutions will now be offered globally under the GNX brand. GNX will support existing QSA customers in manufacturing and retail, including Marks & Spencer and Kraft Foods International, from both its San Francisco headquarters and the St. Albans, England location of QSA.
“Marks & Spencer chose ProductVine to enhance its world-class approach to new product development, and to create a platform to match this with outstanding customer information. The solution has worked extremely well for us, and we look forward to the additional product enhancement and customer support that GNX’s backing will provide,” said David Gregory, Head of Food Technology, Marks & Spencer plc.
“This is a great move for QSA. GNX will help us globalize the products, and GNX’s financial strength and market penetration will allow us to grow in critical mass and scale while maintaining our core skills and expertise,” said Tim Winfield, Commercial Director of QSA.
“Retailers in the UK pioneered, and continue to lead the growth and expansion of, private label grocery programs. QSA has been at the forefront of this growth with its best-in-class product data management software for grocery retailers and manufacturers. We are very excited to integrate QSA’s talented team and superior software design capabilities into GNX, both of which will enable us to better serve the attractive, high-growth private label grocery market,” said Joe Laughlin, CEO of GNX. “This acquisition of QSA is also a great strategic move for GNX, allowing us to build assets of value that differentiate GNX and build long-term competitive advantage.”
About GNX
GNX is an e-business solution and service provider for the global retail industry. GNX solutions help retailers, manufacturers and their trading partners reduce costs and improve efficiency by streamlining and automating sourcing and supply chain processes. With a hosted platform, comprehensive customer support and deep retail experience, GNX simplifies the implementation process – and makes technology investments go further. GNX customers include many of the world`s largest retailers and manufacturers: Federated Department Stores; Carrefour; Coles Myer; KarstadtQuelle AG; The Kroger Co.; Metro Group; Pinault-Printemps-Redoute SA; Ace Hardware; J Sainsbury plc; Sears, Roebuck and Co.; Bed Bath & Beyond; Diageo; Unilever; Colgate-Palmolive; and Kimberly Clark. Based in San Francisco, California, GNX also has offices in Herndon, Virginia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. More information is available at www.gnx.com or +1(415) 399-0990.
About QSA
Founded in 1995, QSA is a market leader in the provision of specialist software solutions to the food and grocery industry. ProductVine, its global solution for the development of grocery retail private-label brands, is the first solution of its kind in the world – allowing retailers to develop new products in collaboration with their suppliers over the internet. QSA`s customers include many of the world`s largest retailers and manufacturers: Marks & Spencer, Nestlé UK, Kraft, Campbells, Northern Foods, Geest and Hazlewood Group. QSA is a Microsoft gold partner.
CONTACT:
Melissa Gisler
GlobalNetXchange
+1(415) 283-3804 or mgisler@gnx.com
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