SAP Extends Solution Portfolio for Retail and Wholesale Companies
WALLDORF, Germany — SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that the company acquired the majority shareholding in SAF Simulation, Analysis and Forecasting AG (SAF), one of the global forecasting and replenishment software leaders in the retail and wholesale industries. By the end of the acceptance period on August 28, 2009, SAP’s offer was accepted for 3,168,205 shares in SAF. In addition, SAP acquired 328,046 SAF shares on the stock exchange since the beginning of the acceptance period and now holds 3,496,251 SAF shares in total. This corresponds to approximately 63.12 percent of the share capital and the voting rights of SAF. With clearance of the offer by the German Federal Cartel Office on August 4, 2009, and by obtaining the minimum acceptance level of 50 percent of the share capital plus one share, all conditions specified for this offer have been met so that the further execution can occur as scheduled. SAF shareholders who have not yet accepted the offer of EUR 11.50 per share can do so during the extended acceptance period from September 4-18, 2009, concluding at 24:00 hours CET. The offer document and all related announcements of SAP are available online at www.sap.de/investor (German binding original version) and www.sap.com/investor (non-binding English translation).
Through the takeover, SAP further extends and complements its current planning, forecasting and replenishment solution portfolio for retail and wholesale companies. Core components of the SAF software have been embedded into the SAP® for Retail solutions since 2002. The takeover of the majority shareholding in SAF will foster the innovative power of both companies and provide more SAP customers with this groundbreaking technology.
SAF specializes in the development or ordering and forecasting software for the retail, logistics and industrial sectors. The company employs the innovative conceptual demand chain management approach that allows the process chain to be controlled and optimized by its central driving force – the customer’s buying behavior. SAF offers three core software products: SAF SuperStore and SAF SuperWarehouse, targeted at automated goods replenishment for the retail sector, and SAF SuperForecast which can be used for forecast-based planning across all industries. SAF’s groundbreaking software makes it possible to fully automate replenishment processes and ensure their reliability using forecasted future demands. The result is lower inventories, improved product availability and increased customer satisfaction. Founded in 1996 and based in Taegerwilen, Switzerland, SAF has approximately 100 employees and subsidiaries in the United States, Slovakia and Germany.
About SAF
SAF Simulation, Analysis and Forecasting AG specializes in the development of automated ordering and forecasting software for retailers and industrial manufacturers. SAF deploys the demand chain management approach, which controls replenishment planning based on consumer demand patterns. SAF software assists users to realize substantial cost savings and optimizes general logistics conditions through its simulation capabilities. As a result, significant competitive advantages are achieved along the entire value chain: lower inventories, improved product availability, and last, but not least, a higher level of customer satisfaction. SAF AG was established in 1996 by Dr. Andreas von Beringe and Prof. Dr. Gerhard Arminger. SAF shares are listed at the official market (Prime Standard) at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB). Today, the company employs approx. 100 people. Consolidated sales revenues for fiscal year 2008, were approx. €13.4 million with consolidated profit of €2.1 million according to IFRS statements. SAF’s products are distributed in many European countries as well as in the United States. The company is headquartered in Tägerwilen, Switzerland. SAF also has a subsidiary in the United States: SAF Simulation, Analysis and Forecasting U.S.A., Inc., Grapevine, Texas and in Slovakia, Bratislava: SAF Simulation, Analysis and Forecasting Slovakia s.r.o. with the focus on Nearshore-Development.
About SAP
SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 89,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.” For more information, visit www.sap.com.
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications.
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