Sports reseller prepares to drop players

Specialist reseller Software for Sport has warned that job cuts and office closures will follow its purchase last week of software accountancy reseller Integra for an undisclosed sum.

Specialist reseller Software for Sport has warned that job cuts and office closures will follow its purchase last week of software accountancy reseller Integra for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition, which will double SFS's annual turnover, will also see the company expand into a more broadline IT market, as it will retain Integra's Multisoft and Sage contracts.

The new company will be based at Integra's office in Wimbledon. Integra's helpdesk and product support departments will be amalgamated into SFS's office in Cheshire, and will suffer job losses.

SFS said it plans to incorporate Integra's in-house customer relationship management software, Membernet, into its established sports-based line-up.

Integra already has a number of Membernet customers, including official sports bodies the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union.

"The case for the acquisition is a compelling one. The two companies have complementary products, client lists and strategic directions," said Alistair Hardie, chief executive of SFS. "However, we are taking the opportunity to rationalise costs."

Hardie added that the purchase of Integra, which comes less than a year after SFS's initial public offering, was just the first step in the company's long-term growth strategy.

Michael Baggs, a director at Integra, said the acquisition by SFS was a strategic move for the company, and was designed to widen its product range and customer base.

Baggs will become sales director at SFS.

Also published in Computer Reseller News