Epicor Customers Focus on New Product, Not Takeover Bid

At the ERP software vendor’s user conference, its CEO says no customers have asked him about the recent takeover bid; the buzz in Vegas surrounds the company’s converged product suite.


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Posted on Oct 22, 2008

LAS VEGAS — Customers of Epicor Software, meeting here this week at the company’s annual conference, expressed little immediate concern over the recent news that the company is facing an unsolicited, $528 million takeover bid.

“I haven’t had one customer talk to me about it,” said Epicor President and CEO Thomas Kelly in an interview with Managing Automation. Kelly acknowledged that the takeover bid from private hedge fund Elliott Associates may have a greater impact on potential new customers.

“This kind of thing can create confusion, which is never healthy,” he said. “But, absent that, nothing has changed. Our strategy and our product roadmap have not changed.”

Kelly said the offer from Elliott was not a surprise. “I’ve been around long enough to know that these things happen,” said Kelly, who in February took over the CEO job from George Klaus, who had held the job for 12 years. Klaus continues as Epicor’s chairman.

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