With this acquisition, Trace One, inventor of the first collaborative Internet platform for private label product management, reaches into the non-food sector and opens up the UK market, becoming the European leader in its market
PARIS -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Leader in e-collaborative solutions for managing private label products in food, household cleaning and cosmetics & personal care, Trace One, has acquired Eqos, a UK enterprise, leader in online sourcing solutions for retailers in several sectors (food, non-food, specialized retail). The e-collaborative solutions of the new group will enable retailers in all categories to facilitate the development of their private label products. In a private label product market undergoing permanent growth (more than 30% market share, by volume, in seven European countries in 2009), Trace One is a high-performance player for accelerating innovation, facilitating the development of private label products, reducing time-to-market, managing the information linked to products, and guaranteeing their quality and food safety for the consumer.
"This acquisition marks a major step in our mission to provide e-collaborative business platforms for retailers and manufacturers of all sizes, in all categories, throughout the world, for accelerating secured development of their offering in private label products," declares Jérôme Malavoy, CEO and founder of Trace One. "We are delighted to welcome the Eqos teams, and are convinced that the synergies created through the association of our competencies and our solutions will create real value for all of our clients."
"We are proud to join Trace One," declares Mike Quinn, CEO and co-founder of Eqos. "I am convinced that together, we will be able to enrich our technologies and our solutions, continuing to support growth for our clients, retailers and manufacturers of all sizes."
With consolidated turnover of €20 million and 140 employees, the new group becomes the European leader in solutions for managing private label products. Its clients include retail leaders in Europe, such as Carrefour, Auchan, Casino, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Carrefour Spain, Eroski, Carrefour Belgium, as well as 6,200 manufacturers in the food and non-food sectors.
With this acquisition, Trace One, already established in France and Spain, opens the United Kingdom market, and can now count five offices around the world, in Paris, Madrid, London, Boston, and Hong Kong.
About Eqos
Eqos is one of the leading providers of online sourcing solutions for retailers in all categories. The "on-demand" solutions of Eqos allow its clients to work collaboratively with their trading partners to improve client satisfaction and supplier performance, to accelerate product delivery, and to ensure compliance. Featured among the clients of Eqos are leaders in retail: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl, HMV, H-E-B (USA) and Edcon (South Africa). Created in 1997, the company has offices in London, Boston, and Hong Kong.
About Trace One
Trace One is a European leader in e-collaborative SaaS (Software as a Service) mode solutions for managing private label products in food, cosmetics, and personal care targeting retailers and manufacturers.
Created in 2001, Trace One is the first collaborative online platform for managing the development and quality of private label products. Trace One is today the inside partner for retailers and their suppliers, supporting growth in their private label offerings. The e-collaborative solutions from Trace One help accelerate the development of retailers' private label products while ensuring quality and guaranteeing food safety for consumers.
Trace One solutions are used by European leaders in retail, including Carrefour, Auchan, Monoprix, Casino, Carrefour Spain and Eroski, as well as 1,500 manufacturers throughout Europe. Among those manufacturers are 80% of the private label suppliers to the French market, as well as the largest multinationals in the FMCG sector: L'Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Danone, Sara Lee, Coca-Cola, Kraft, etc.
Present in Paris and Madrid, Trace One has experienced double digit growth since its creation. Trace One received the OSEO Prize as most innovative enterprise in 2006 and was ranked fourth in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in 2007 for enterprise with strongest growth. In 2008, Trace One received the GS1 Trophy from the GDS through its client, Kambly for their successful collaboration with Carrefour through the Trace One electronic product catalogue solution, Catalogic.
CONTACT:
for Trace One and Eqos (USA)
DPR Group, Inc.
Dayna Guzik
919-678-9200
dguzik@dprgroup.com
or
for Trace One (France)
Olivia Pénichou / Christine Mariani
01 45 00 94 01