12
March
2001
|
00:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Skipton Acquisition Unites EuroDirect and GMAP

Skipton, the UK's sixth largest building society, has acquired business-modelling specialist GMAP as its twelfth subsidiary company.

This paves the way for EuroDirect, an established member of the Skipton Group, to form a strategic partnership with GMAP and offer the marketplace a combined raft of marketing intelligence products.

EuroDirect's strong penetration of the retail and leisure markets and GMAP's expertise in the financial and forecourt sectors will form a complementary alliance for both parties. The partnership will provide EuroDirect with a stronger modelling capability, as GMAP brings in many of their leading edge technologies to enhance many of EuroDirect's existing products. GMAP's international presence will also strengthen their combined international offering globally. For GMAP, they will be entering into a EuroDirect culture, steeped in customer service and sales with a solid track record as leading exponents in marketing intelligence applications. Having access to EuroDirect's comprehensive databases and unrivalled knowledge for data, will greatly leverage GMAP's existing skillsets.

The move will facilitate many reciprocal exchanges of skills, knowledge and technology to ultimately offer clients a greatly enhanced service and to ensure opportunities in the marketplace are maximised as quickly as possible.

Mike Green, CEO, EuroDirect comments; " GMAP is a natural extension to the EuroDirect offering. We will both benefit from each others' understanding of different markets and through the integration of our product technologies will further consolidate our service to clients."

Professor Martin Clarke, Chief Executive of GMAP comments; "The links with EuroDirect will enable us to move towards becoming the dominant player in the European market analysis industry. With the significant backing and commitment of Skipton we will achieve substantial growth in business over the next 5 years to the benefit of both our clients and our staff.

John Goodfellow, Chief Executive of Skipton Building Society commented, "The acquisition of GMAP further increases the quality of staff and the skill base within the Skipton Group, in particular, those people working in the marketing intelligence analysis and data arena. This business complements our established operation in this sector, EuroDirect. It also continues the Society's strategy of diversification and the benefits this brings to our members, whilst reaffirming our position as 'the modern mutual'.

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Notes to Editors

EuroDirect

  • EuroDirect is a leading Marketing Intelligence, Database Marketing and GIS organisation and is part of the Skipton Group. Well established in the field of Direct Marketing EuroDirect has extensive experience with Blue Chip clients in all areas of business, including financial services, retail and leisure operations, utilities, publishing, agencies and bureaux.

GMAP

  • GMAP provides strategic advice and software based around a decision support system using knowledge and experience of geographical information and business modelling as it relates to the planning and management of delivery channels.

Over the last 15 years GMAP has developed a range of bespoke software products known as intelligent tactical decision support systems which, when integrated with generic and client data, allows users to benchmark their performance against that of competitors, to predict the impact of market changes and to optimise decision-making against corporate strategic objectives.

GMAP works with a range of Blue Chip clients in retailing, financial services, petrol retailing and telecoms.

Skipton Building Society

  • Skipton is the UK's sixth largest building society and the advocate of 'modern mutuality'. The Group now comprises twelve subsidiary companies in the financial services sector and related areas, alongside Skipton Building Society.