Epicor To Be Acquired By Investing Firm KKR

Nine days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apax Partners was considering a sale of Epicor Software, Epicor announced Tuesday that is has agreed to be acquired by global investment firm KKR. Terms were not disclosed for the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of August.

Apax Partners, a London-based private equity firm, bought Epicor for about $1.04 billion in 2011 and eventually merged it with rival Activant Solutions. Apax tried selling Epicor in 2014 but ended up pulling out after turning down offers it deemed to low from bidders, some which were reportedly worth around $3 billion.

Epicor’s software assists manufacturing, distribution and retail businesses with sales and supply-chain management. It is one of the leading technology providers for distributors, with more than 7,000 distributors using its software, according to Epicor's website.

"Our top priority continues to be delivering cloud-ready, market-leading solutions paired with a world-class customer experience," said Joe Cowan, president and CEO of Epicor. "KKR shares our vision of providing innovative technology with a clear focus on helping customers grow business, not software. This is an exciting time for Epicor, and I am extremely appreciative of Apax's support during the last five years."

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Infor Acquires Retail-Demand Software Firm Predictix

Enterprise software firm Infor is acquiring Predictix LLC and merging the company’s consumer-demand forecasting technology into its own supply-chain management systems for retailers.

Infor had invested $25 million in Predictix  in January.

The company is buying out the other investors of Atlanta-based Predictix, which mines data from the internet and other sources to predict demand trends for retailers including Home Depot Inc. and Whole Foods Market Inc.

The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, follows Infor’s $675 million acquisition in August 2015 of GT Nexus, another provider of cloud-based software for retailers.

Infor and Predictix said subscriptions to the Predictix analytics software grew 40 percent last year and have accelerated since Infor’s initial investment, according to the report.

Apax Considering Sale of Epicor

For the second time in two years, Apax Partners, a London-based private equity firm, is considering selling Epicor Software, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Epicor Chief Executive Joe Cowan said the interest from private-equity buyers is "no surprise' given the company’s "strong performance and market leadership."

"We’ll consider those expressions of interest,' Mr. Cowan said in an email, the WSJ reported. "As we do so, we’ll be guided by what makes the most sense for the company and our customers."

Apax bought the company for about $1.04 billion in 2011 and later merged it with rival Activant Solutions Inc.

Apax put Epicor on the block in 2014 but ultimately chose not to sell, turning down offers it deemed too low from bidders including CVC Capital Partners, the Wall Street Journal said at the time. Some bids were around $3 billion including debt, the WSJ reported.

Epicor’s software assists businesses with sales and supply-chain management. It is one of the leading technology providers for distributors and says on its web site that more than 7,000 distributors use its software.

Apax Partners Puts Epicor Software on the Block

Epicor Software Corp., a private-equity owned company that assists other firms with sales and supply-chain management, is on the block and seeking as much as $3.5 billion, said people familiar with the matter.

The company, purchased by London-based buyout firm Apax Partners for around $1.04 billion in 2011, is working with Jefferies Group LLC to seek buyers. Valuations for the company differ, but people around the deal say Epicor could fetch between $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion, including debt.

Epicor, based in Austin, Texas, serves the distribution, manufacturing, retail and services industries world-wide. It posted sales of $978.3 million in 2013 and carries about $1.3 billion in debt, according to public filings.

After purchasing Epicor, Apax merged it with another rival software-maker, Activant Solutions Inc., which was previously owned by Hellman & Friedman LLC, JMI Equity and Thoma Bravo LLC. In 2012, Epicor paid $155 million to acquire another smaller rival, Solarsoft Business Systems, from Marlin Equity Partners.

In 2012 and 2013, Epicor issued $340 million and $350 million of new debt respectively, to fund dividends to its private-equity owner, according to S&P Capital IQ LCD. 

A sale of Epicor would follow private-equity deals involving similar software companies. Earlier this year, Blackstone Group LP and GIC Private Ltd. paid $750 million for a minority stake in human-resources software company Kronos Inc. in a deal that valued the company at $4.5 billion including debt. And in late 2013, Hellman & Friedman acquired insurance software maker Applied Systems Inc. for $1.8 billion including debt.

Write to Mike Spector at mike.spector@wsj.com, Gillian Tan at gillian.tan@wsj.com and Dana Mattioli at dana.mattioli@wsj.com