SoftBrands Hospitality

is has announced the acquisition of its South African distributor, formerly Sulcus South Africa, which has offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This strategic acquisition allows SoftBrands to further expand its presence in the African continent.
With an extensive user base of over 180 sites, the South African business partner offers total hospitality solutions and services to a broad range of properties, including safari lodges, resorts, hotel groups and independent hotels. Whilst the South African hospitality market is already established, it is recognised that due to the increase in tourism, there is a requirement for additional hotels, resorts and leisure facilities to encourage more tourists. The hospitality market is therefore continually evolving. One example is that a recent survey showed that overseas arrivals have increased 11.3% in the past year. SoftBrands Hospitality believes there are major opportunities in providing comprehensive management systems in this area and have therefore taken this decisive step.

SoftBrands currently has a direct office in Johannesburg through its Manufacturing division and this acquisition will provide further office facilities in Cape Town for this division. SoftBrands Hospitality now has 16 offices situated within 12 countries worldwide, which emphasises SoftBrands commitment to international focus.

With the latest version of PORTfolio, SoftBrands flagship enterprise-wide hospitality solution, including CRS, PMS, POS and Web Booking modules, the new venture is well poised to deliver modern, highly functional solutions both to existing users and the growing South African market. The acquisition also coincides with the launch of SoftBrands` exciting leisure management product RIO Grand within the EMEA region. RIO Grand has an excellent reputation in the USA where it has been installed for many years in over 110 properties.

“Following our growing presence in Europe, Asia Pac and the United States, this acquisition allows SoftBrands Hospitality to get a direct foothold within Africa”, commented Mike Preston, President of SoftBrands Hospitality. “I view this expansion of the company as a great opportunity for our staff, investors and our customers worldwide and see it as a continuing move towards becoming the major technology vendor to the hotel and leisure market.”

Lee Barker, former General Manager and shareholder of the distributor added, “We have been very impressed with the transformation of SoftBrands over the last year. We feel that this is a wonderful opportunity for our customers and staff alike to become part of a worldwide organisation such as SoftBrands.”

The SoftBrands South Africa office will continue to support existing users and grow the business in the surrounding countries such as Namibia and Zimbabwe.

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