Kantar Retail acquires sales automation software business XTEL

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Kantar Retail acquires sales automation software business XTEL.

Kantar Retail, WPP's retail and shopper, data insights and consulting business, has announced the acquisition of XTEL, provider of sales processes automation solutions for the consumer goods industry.

Founded over twenty years ago and headquartered in Bologna, Italy, XTEL brings the leading Sales Master One software platform into Kantar Retail. Key modules within Sales Master One include sales planning, trade promotion management and optimization, retail execution, advanced pricing, DSD and van sales. The suite of solutions offers manufacturing companies a superior user experience combined with first-class transactional, mobile, and analytic capabilities.

Phil Smiley, joint CEO of Kantar Retail commented; "We strongly believe that the combination of Kantar Retail and XTEL assets will create a powerful offer in the market and a platform for us to develop new integrated solutions across sales planning, pricing, promotion and assortment optimization, category management, and retail execution."

"We are thrilled to join Kantar Retail," stated Alessandro Bosi, Managing Director of XTEL. "We believe that this acquisition provides us with the opportunity to further enhance XTEL's leadership in the consumer goods marketplace by combining XTEL's industry expertise and state-of-art solutions with Kantar and WPP's global reach, consulting practices, and complementary industry applications."

Alessandro Bosi will report to Phil Smiley and XTEL will operate as part of the Kantar Retail portfolio with a focus on integrating offers and pursuing joint client and expanded market opportunities.