Columbus and iStone join forces and become market leading in the Nordic region

Release no. 1/2018

With acceptance from all 238 shareholders in iStone AB, representing 100% of the share capital, Columbus A/S completes the previously announced acquisition of 100% of the shares in Swedish iStone AB, a leading provider of business applications and e-commerce solutions in Sweden and Norway (cf. release no. 23/2017 of 30 November 2017).

All conditions in the offer have been fulfilled, and the closing procedure has been completed. Columbus and iStone will therefore now start the integration of the two companies.

"We are very pleased to be able to welcome iStone's employees to Columbus. iStone and Columbus are a perfect match both businesswise and culturally, and together we can create even more value for our customers and reach our strategic business goals", says CEO & President in Columbus, Thomas Honoré.

The acquisition of iStone is a game changer for Columbus, which in one stroke has increased revenue by 50% and is completely in line with Columbus' vision of becoming a global strategic partner leading customers in the digital transformation of their business.

Strengthened market position

With the acquisition of iStone, Columbus has almost 2,000 employees globally and hereby expands its global footprint, and at the same time becomes market leading in the Nordic region.

As a supplement to Columbus' expertise within business applications and IT services, iStone contributes with deep expertise within e-commerce and a broader ERP business.  With a common industry focus on manufacturing, food, retail and distribution companies, Columbus will also offer a complete solution portfolio to customers globally.

Besides the common industry focus, iStone comes with a market leading position within ERP solutions for the Swedish manufacturing industry. Combined with Columbus' complete industry solution portfolio for manufacturing companies it opens new opportunities for creating further value for iStone's existing and new customers.

Integration will be initiated

The integration of iStone and Columbus will take place gradually over the coming years. In the first phase iStone will continue its daily operation and will be working on new business opportunities together with Columbus.

Columbus expects to be able to implement similar initiatives in iStone as done in Columbus during the previous years which  resulted in increased earnings capacity in Columbus. The EBITDA margin in iStone is therefore expected to increase over the coming years.

iStone will operate under the name "iStone a Columbus company".

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SE_01_2018_Columbus and iStone join forces.pdf