Atos acquires Quality Equipment, a Dutch electronic payment player

Atos, an international IT services company, today announced the acquisition of Quality Equipment, a player in electronic payments in the Netherlands in particular in the catering, vending and parking sectors.

The acquisition followed a fruitful 15-year partnership with Quality Equipment, during which Atos benefited from continuous high-quality payment services and appreciated the wide payment services portfolio it offered to its customers. The company will be integrated into Atos Worldline, Atos core expertise in Hi-Tech Transactional Services (HTTS) and electronic payments.

Quality Equipment produces systems for payment, identification, access management and is an all-in-one supplier of PIN terminals for various applications. The company employs 70 people and realized an annual growth rate of 20 per cent in 2011 compared to the previous year.

Main goals of this acquisition:

• Reinforce the roll out of Atos Global Payment strategy by value added services to its current acquiring and terminals portfolio in the Benelux, increase its sales force and expertise and offer innovative services to merchants.
• Grow market shares for terminal activity as well as acquiring business.
• Become the leader in terms of terminals and merchants services in the Netherlandswith an end-to-end coverage
• Build a European competence centre for value added services for merchants.

Marc-Henri Desportes, Executive Vice President Hi-Tech Transactional Services at Atos says: “This transaction is fully in line with the strategy of the Group to grow its HTTS activities and to strengthen its international position in the payments area. Atos acquires a company in its core business located in the Benelux where the Group is already working with large customers, and has a leading market position. We will be able to offer value added services with an enriched payment services portfolio to our customers in the Benelux and across Europe.”

About Atos
Atos is an international information technology services company with annual 2011 pro forma revenue of EUR 8.5 billion and 74,000 employees in 48 countries. Serving a global client base, it delivers hi-tech transactional services, consulting and technology services, systems integration and managed services. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail, Services; Public, Health & Transports; Financial Services; Telecoms, Media & Technology; Energy & Utilities. Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting & Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos Worldgrid.

About Atos Worldline
Atos Worldline brings together Atos core expertise in Hi-Tech Transactional Services (HTTS) with over 35 years of experience and recognized know-how in the payment industry. A leader in end-to-end services for critical electronic transactions, Atos Worldline is specialised in electronic payment services (including issuing, acquiring, terminals, and card and non-card payment solutions & processing), eServices for customers, citizens and communities (eCS) as well as services for financial markets. Atos Worldline is committed to continuous R&D and innovation so its customers can benefit from leading-edge solutions to stay ahead of market evolutions. Atos Worldline generates annual revenues of € 913 million and employs over 5,400 people in the world.