Acquisition of Lookout Solutions

RNS Number : 8389Q

Brulines Group PLC

26 October 2011

 



Press Release

26 October 2011

Brulines Group plc

(the "Company" or "Brulines")

Acquisition of Lookout Solutions

Brulines Group plc (AIM:BRU), the leading provider of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the leisure and forecourt solutions sectors, is pleased to announce that it has acquired Lookout Solutions ("Lookout"), a vending industry telemetry solutions provider based in Oxford, for an undisclosed sum.

The solutions provided by Lookout will be integrated with those already offered by the Company's subsidiary business Vianet Limited ("Vianet") to create a one stop shop for vending telemetry, contactless payment processing and vending management software solutions.  

Established in February 2008, Lookout has developed a leading vending management software application which, combined with Vianet's leading contactless payment and vending telemetry solutions provides Brulines with a compelling end-to-end solution for brand owners and vending operators.  Lookout counts a multinational brand owner and AG Barr amongst its customers.

Mark Boland, the founder and Managing Director of Lookout joins Vianet in the role of Sales and Marketing Director with immediate effect reporting to Stewart Darling, Managing Director of Brulines' Leisure Division.

Brulines aims to become a market leader in the provision of telemetry, contactless payment processing and ERP software solutions for the global vending market. This strategy has seen the successful acquisition and development of Vianet in December 2008, and the turnaround and growth of this business as it has developed its products and services and signed customer supply contracts with major brand owners.

Commenting on the proposed acquisition and appointment, James Dickson, Chief Executive of Brulines, said:  "I am delighted to welcome Mark Boland to Brulines.  In addition to Lookout's excellent vending management application completing our leading end-to-end solution for the sector, we gain a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the vending industry, which will prove invaluable as we continue to expand our presence and drive growth in the global vending market."

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Enquiries:

Brulines Group plc
James Dickson, Chief Executive	Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]	www.brulines.com

Cenkos Securities plc
Stephen Keys / Camilla Hume	Tel: [phone]
	www.cenkos.com

Media enquiries:

Abchurch Communications
Joanne Shears / Mark Dixon / Oliver Baxendale [e-mail]	Tel: [phone] www.abchurch-group.com

About Brulines

Brulines Group is focused on the provision of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the UK's leisure and petrol forecourt sectors. Since its admission to AIM in 2006, the Group has grown both organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions to give the Group access to key vertical markets. The Group operates two divisions which comprise five key products:

LEISURE DIVISION

Dispense Monitoring (DMS)	The Group's core product, DMS, is widely used by owners and operators within the UK licensed on-trade, especially the tenanted / leased pub sector. Flow meters connected to draught beer dispense lines send data via an on-site communication panel to a secure central database. Liquid volumes by fount, draught wine or post mix are tracked as they are served, thereby helping customers to maximise sales, service and quality as well as managing their costs . DMS is installed in over 22,000 pubs and manages data for more than one in three UK pubs.
i-draught (formerly BQM)	A more recent and rapidly growing product offer is i-draughtTM, an extension of the Group's DMS, which scrutinises the quality of products running through beer lines in a bar; measuring volume, temperature, flow rate and liquid type (e.g. beer, cleaning fluid or water) at the point of dispense. i-draught is the first system to provide effective measurement of true yields on draught products. Actual dispense volumes are compared with till transactions to identify shrinkage from products given away, pilferage and wastage. i-draught measures the precise temperature of every pint as it is dispensed, the time taken to dispense each drink, and automatically identifies the liquid allowing customers to know exactly when lines are cleaned. Wherever they are, customers can stay in control through accessing their information on a secure web site.
Gaming  Machine Data Services	The acquisition of Coin Metrics in May 2007 was a strong strategic fit with Brulines' existing Machine Insite business which already provides gaming machine data management and consultancy services to operators within the pub, club and leisure markets. Customers benefit from state-of-the-art real-time data capture and reporting systems that deliver improved machine profitability and operational security.
Vending  Telemetry	The Group's subsidiary Vianet is a pan-European provider of telemetry solutions and data applications to the vending industry. Vianet provides services for all vending management needs; from operations, sales, field services, national accounts to senior management.

FORECOURT SERVICES DIVISION

UK Petrol Forecourt Data Services

The Group's wholly-owned subsidiary, Edensure, supplies key management information to independent, multi branded owner, and supermarket petrol forecourt operators in the UK which helps reduce loss of fuel and improve profitability. Edensure provides petrol retailers with an unrivalled level of accuracy in the monitoring and management of their wet stock, using the most sophisticated analytical techniques available worldwide.

Headquartered in Stockton-on-Tees, Brulines employs more than 240 people. 

For further information, please visit www.brulines.com

 

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