SAP is now able to offer its customers a central omni-channel pricing engine. The heart of this new software solution is the pricing engine developed by GK Software AG. This has been further developed jointly with SAP to form a central component in the SAP infrastructure for omni-channel applications.

• Pricing engine from GK Software becomes part of the SAP software portfolio
• Calculating prices centrally is an important element for cross-industry omni-channel solutions

GK Software and SAP have signed an agreement covering the integration of the Central Pricing Engine, which GK Software has continued to develop in close cooperation with SAP, in the range of software solutions offered by SAP. As part of the agreement, the GK price-finding component will be directly embedded in cross-industry solutions sold by SAP. Shortly after the agreement was signed, one of the top 50 global retailers opted for the software component developed by GK.

The Central Pricing Engine is a high-performance component for centrally calculating very many shopping baskets in stores, in web shops or on consumers' mobile devices. The scalable central software enables the calculation of a very large number of parallel sales promotion rules at the same time. The Central Pricing Engine guarantees unified prices across all the channels within an all-round omni-channel approach, the consistent use of as many sales promotions and loyalty actions as the company wishes and precise figures for refunds. It therefore forms one key component in all-round omni-channel concepts.

The Management Board believes that the agreement provides confirmation of its plans for the 2016 financial year and it is standing by its forecast, which was published in the statement on the 1st quarter, without making any changes.

The second quarter of the year was very successful for GK Software AG. The company's ability to attract three new well-known customers played a major role in this process and provided evidence of the efficiency and variability of the new OmniPOS core product.

• Successful licencing business in the first six months of the year
• An outstanding start to sales of the new OmniPOS software solution

The OmniPOS solution, which is a completely new development, was only officially launched at the leading trade fairs in New York and Düsseldorf at the beginning of the year. Backed by additional momentum from existing customers, it was therefore possible to achieve the target figures for the company's licencing business during the first half of the year. The new customers are active in the fashion, luxury goods and DIY sectors and together operate more than 1,600 stores in about 40 different countries. The Management Board is confident that further projects may be gained during the third and fourth quarters of the year. It is therefore standing by its forecast without any changes, as published in the statement on the first quarter.

The company is planning to publish its report for the first half of the year on 30 August 2016.

The Management Board at GK Software AG would like to make known that the corporate group's turnover grew by 40.3 percent to EUR 62.60 million (EUR 44.63 million in 2014) during the 2015 business year, according to preliminary figures.

• Strong license business drives the growth in turnover
• EBITDA exceeds previous year's figure by EUR 2.1 million

Two thirds of this increase, for which the licensing business was largely responsible during the reporting period, was achieved through organic growth. The EBITDA was EUR 2.18 million, following a figure of EUR 0.04 million in the previous year. The Group recorded an EBIT of EUR (1.28) million, largely due to the scheduled amortisation in connection with its US acquisition (previous year: EUR (3.02) million).

GK Software AG will probably publish its final figures in the form of its financial statement on 29 April 2016.

At EuroCIS in Düsseldorf GK Software is launching OmniPOS for the very first time. This completely new and innovative solution opens up new possibilities for retailers to optimally meet their customers’ needs across all sales channels. OmniPOS is entirely new software that has been developed in close collaboration with SAP and is the only solution in the world that can also be used in an SAP HANA environment. Thanks to the seamless combination with SAP’s world-leading back-end and e-commerce solutions (hybris), this offers retailers an omni-commerce platform that is unrivalled internationally in terms of its wide range of functionalities.

OmniPOS – Completely new and highly flexible omni-commerce solution

OmniPOS is a completely new solution that is seamlessly integrated into both the GK/Retail Business Suite and the world of SAP. It has been designed to achieve 100 percent alignment with the expectations of today’s consumers and enables retailers to optimally meet their needs, everywhere and at all times. The innovative architecture ensures that all omni-channel processes can be performed in any location and on any device. Furthermore, depending on the specific application, a wide variety of POS set-ups can be achieved – and the POS can even be integrated as a service in other solutions. Central components such as price calculation are also available as services for all other sales channels. At EuroCIS, OmniPOS is being presented in several different scenarios including as a classic stationary point of sale, in various mobile thin-client set-ups (e.g. for clienteling), and as a payment extension for SAP hybris.

Michael Jaszczyk, CTO of GK Software, comments: “OmniPOS is not just another new POS system. Instead, it’s a springboard into a whole new world. We have freed it from any ties to hardware by making it a fully open system. The role of POS may be changing, but the functionality will definitely continue to be required in the future. That’s why we have designed OmniPOS so that its functionalities can be used in every channel, on any type of hardware or in the cloud, in countless set-ups. Therefore, the solution also forms a hub for the individual sales channels. It’s based on our 25-plus years of know-how and experience as the leading innovator in our field.”

• Multi-channel services safeguard process consistency

  OmniPOS has been designed with a firm focus on making centralized functionalities available across all channels. This enables core processes to be utilized without redundancy and with a consistent quality – in stores, in the webshop and/or on smartphones.

• Faster time-to-market thanks to app enablement

  App enablement allows new functionalities to be added very quickly, without the need for any changes to the POS software. The stand-alone apps react to relevant occurrences at the point of sale and enhance POS functionality in real time, such as by providing recommendations or supplementary loss-prevention functionality.

• Seamless integration of e-commerce in the store

  The certified hybris extension allows in-store sales employees to directly access the webshop and seamlessly transfer the contents of the virtual shopping cart to the POS.

End-to-end real-time connection – mobile store-level ERP

A further highlight at the EuroCIS trade fair are GK Software’s ERP solutions. These revolve around the Mobile Merchandise Management mobile store-level ERP solution which is available for Android, Windows and iOS. Providing an end-to-end connection, this forms the link between all store-related processes and the central ERP system. As the world’s only fully SAP-integrated solution, this is also directly available as a SAP product. Label & Poster Print is an optimal extension. Thanks to direct connectivity with the central ERP system, this solution fully automates the entire price labeling process, both for printed labels and electronic shelf labels (ESLs), as well as the printing of posters.

Debut for other new solutions: Self-scanning, Pick&Pay and Transaction+

GK Software is also demonstrating the following new advancements at EuroCIS for the first time:

• Self-scanning: The new self-scanning solution is available for use both with dedicated self-scanning devices (PSAs) and with consumers’ smartphones via the Customer Engagement app.

• Pick&Pay: The mobile solution for click & collect orders enables store employees to pick the relevant goods from stock and prepare them for collection by the customer in advance.

• Transaction+: The market-leading solution from GK Software’s US subsidiary company enables secure EMV-certified handling of transactions with all common payment cards in the USA using flexible acquirer routing, which enables considerable cost savings.

At this year’s EuroCIS, Europe’s leading trade fair for retail technology, GK Software is presenting its entire portfolio and – as in previous years – is looking forward to welcoming a large number of visitors to its booth. The company’s subsidiary AWEK as well as partner company valuephone are also exhibiting in the direct vicinity of the GK Software booth.

The Lebensmittel Zeitung (German retail industry newspaper) reported yesterday that ALDI Nord has decided to use the POS and store solution, which is developed by GK Software and sold by SAP, and that an SAP partner will handle the implementation work.

The Management Board at GK Software is delighted that another of the world's leading 50 retailers will be relying on the leading international solutions developed by the company and it views the step as confirmation of its plans for 2016. As a result, there will be no change to the forecast for this business year or the medium-term forecast for the next few years.

GK Software has been able to continue its successful international expansion programme during this business year and gain two more projects.

• Significant follow-up order in Canada
• First new customer in Mexico

A leading Canadian retailer has opted for another product from the GK Software portfolio sold by SAP. As part of a major follow-up order, the mobile merchandise management software will be introduced in more than one thousand stores. A leading department store and boutique operator in Mexico has decided to purchase the POS solution and will equip more than 1,300 stationary and mobile tills with the new software. The project was gained through a local partner and it will handle the implementation work.

As a result, GK Software AG has already been able to gain thirteen new projects this year, four of them in North and Central America. The Management Board believes that this endorses its strategy of internationalization and it is continuing to stand by its forecast for the 2015 business year without making any changes.

Two major companies in the USA opted to use GK Software solutions during the first quarter of 2015. These firms operate in the fashion/sports and specialist retail sectors. This will involve equipping approx. 3,200 stores with solutions from GK Software in future. 

• Two major companies opt for GK Software solutions in the USA

The license revenues will form part of the planned goals for the 2015 business year. The Management Board is therefore standing by its forecast to further enhance turnover and improve profitability at the same time.

Schöneck, Germany, Bangalore, India and East Brunswick, New Jersey, - Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, and GK Software AG, a leading technology developer and provider of standard software for the retail sector, today announced a partnership designed to achieve fast and flexible implementations of SAP® Store Management applications by GK, for customers across the world.

The purview of this partnership covers leading store-operations software products, which are tightly integrated with SAP software. These include applications such as SAP Point-of-Sale by GK, SAP Open Scale Management by GK, SAP Store Device Control by GK, SAP Label and Poster Printing by GK and SAP Offline Mobile Store by GK, which offer state-of-the-art omni-channel capabilities for international retailers.

Wipro will offer end-to-end implementation services for joint projects. Wipro consultants have completed an advanced training program at the GK Software Academy in order to develop expertise in the software products, which will be key to this partnership. GK Software will provide consultancy services and customer support. The SAP Store Management applications by GK will be sold directly by SAP.

“This partnership is in line with our consistent focus on delivering real-time, transformational agility to our customers in the retail and consumer packaged goods industries,” said Natarajan Srinivasan, Global Head, SAP Application Services, Wipro Ltd. “Our partnership with GK Software AG will enable better collaboration across business functions to consistently provide end-to-end integrated solutions for omni-channel retailers. The solutions enabled by this partnership are capable of organizing thousands of stores and devices, hundreds of thousands of articles, and catering to millions of consumers, while providing a unified shopping experience,” he added.

Rainer Glaess, CEO of GK Software commented, “The partnership with Wipro permits a very attractive joint product and implementation offer for retailers around the world. Wipro is a highly experienced partner with a strong global network that we expect will give our international customers confidence that industry-leading solutions will be implemented for them, on time and in a cost-efficient manner. For GK Software, the partnership offers the opportunity to scale our international business, further accelerating the growth of the company.”

“As a trusted SAP global service provider, Wipro is an ideal implementation partner for SAP Store Management applications by GK. We expect that the combined expertise between GK Software and Wipro will help achieve our shared vision of providing best-in-class, differentiated solutions to our retail customers across the globe,” said Lori Mitchell-Keller, senior vice president and head of Global Retail IBU, SAP.

About Wipro Ltd.

Wipro Ltd. (NYSE:WIT) is a leading information technology, consulting and business process services company that delivers solutions to enable its clients do business better. Wipro delivers winning business outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360 degree view of "Business through Technology" - helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioner's approach to delivering innovation, and an organization wide commitment to sustainability, Wipro has a workforce of over 150,000, serving clients in 175+ cities across 6 continents. For more information, please visit www.wipro.com

GK Software AG has finalized the acquisition of the of the „Retail“ business segment of United States based DBS Data Business Systems Inc. This business segment, which provides products and services in the areas of Payment Processing, customer engagement and loyalty, was fully acquired as part of an asset deal.

Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price of this acquisition.

(End of the obligatory announcement)

Annotation to this Ad-hoc News

For further information about the acquired business segment we refer to our ad hoc announcement from March 17th and the explanations to this notification. http://www.gk-software.com/en/public-relations-en/news/gk-software-plans-acquisition-in-north-america

GK Software AG is planning the acquisition of the „Retail“ business segment of United States based DBS Data Business Systems Inc. (DBS), as part of an asset deal. This business segment provides products and services in the areas of Payment Processing, customer engagement and loyalty. The native Virginia company has been successfully focused on retail and hospitality for decades. The DBS segment "Retail", whose acquisition is planned, is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has generated revenue of about 6 million US dollars in 2014 being highly profitable. The “Retail” segment has currently 21 employees.

Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price of this acquisition.

(End of Ad-hoc News)

About DBS

DBS Inc. was established in 1977 and has since been managed by its founders. The company is focused on solutions for hospitality and retail industries and in the course of its history, has served more than 2,000 customers. The planned acquisition is strictly related to the DBS business segment „Retail“, focusing solely on the retail sector. This business segment is geared on the one hand toward project development and consultation, and on the other hand complements with its solutions GK Software’s offering for the retail market.

The DBS segment „Retail“, which focuses on the implementation of store projects, has successfully administered countless roll-outs of the former SAP-POS solution (Triversity). Therefore, long-standing and grounded customer relationships exist within a market setting that is of particular interest to GK Software. The most important software solution in the portfolio of DBS „Retail“ is oriented toward the connection of various hard and software components for the implementation of Electronic Payment Processing in North America. An uncomplicated and quick integration of this solution into GK Software’s world of solutions will bring a simplified and accelerated implementation of customer projects within this market sector.

As a result of this acquisition, GK Software anticipates a defined and boosted growth in the North American Market. A reputable team with customers and partners alike, possessing many years of experience managing complex store projects, will reinforce the visibility and proven implementations record in this market. With this move, GK Software precedes one more step in the further development of one of the largest retail markets in the world.

This project has been realized in conjunction with IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG.