Kantar completes acquisition of StepUp RGM

03 August 2022
Kantar and Silvertree Equity, the software and technology focused private equity firm, today confirm the previously announced acquisition of StepUp RGM has been finalised. StepUp will merge with Kantar’s existing XTEL Trade Promotion offering. The combined business will be branded Kantar XTEL and will operate as an independent entity within the Kantar Group. As experts in the ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) space, Silvertree Equity will be co-investors and act as strategic transformation and growth advisors. Cédric Guyot has been appointed CEO of the combined business and will lead the next phase of growth to establish a leadership position in the FMCG Revenue Management Software Market space, a $2.6 billion market opportunity by 2025. 

Taking a more holistic approach to revenue management; combining data from every commercial lever – price, assortment, promotions and trade terms, is key to sustaining revenue and margin growth. StepUp enables full RGM roadmap development and implementation for FMCG/CPG brands, from data sourcing & modelling to actionable insights and capability building. Kantar’s existing XTEL offering is recognised as a global leader in the Trade Promotion space. The newly created business will be the most comprehensive end-to-end Revenue Management Software platform in the FMCG/CPG market, counting more than 100 tier-1 & 2 FMCG companies around the world as clients.

Discussing the transaction, Kantar Chief Executive, Chris Jansen noted, “Today’s transaction brings together highly complementary teams and platforms to help our clients address some of their biggest strategic priorities. At Kantar we believe our unique combination of data analytics, trusted expertise and powerful technology platforms can play an important role in helping brands grow. Under Cédric’s leadership, I am confident Kantar XTEL will become the long-term partner of choice to accompany FMCGs on their journey of embedding revenue management practices in their operations. “

Cédric Guyot, CEO of Kantar XTEL added “We have a long-term vision to create an end-to-end, intelligent and future-proof Revenue Management platform. Until now, there has been no single trusted partner able to deliver the right combination of systems, data management and change management capabilities to ensure a successful revenue management transformation. The combination of XTEL and StepUp RGM is the answer FMCG/CPG leaders need today. We have many shared customers who understand how RGM and TPM integrate into an enterprise-scale, actionable revenue management practice. Today’s announcement is a key milestone in delivering against a major market opportunity and fulfils Kantar XTEL’s purpose of helping businesses grow smarter, every day.”

StepUp RGM CEO, Piet Surmont added “Revenue Management is the most advanced practice for creating value and winning with retailers and shoppers. Kantar is the ideal partner for us to achieve our shared mission of building an end-to-end practice. FMCG companies who embrace the transformation journey to make Revenue Management an everyday practice and mindset will create new competitive advantages.” 

Nicholas Theuerkauf, Managing Partner of SilverTree Equity, added “With AI-driven analytics across key commercial levers and a best-in-class Trade Promotion Management SaaS platform, this combined offering will allow Kantar XTEL to lead the market. The combined company is uniquely positioned as the only end-to-end Revenue Growth Management software platform able to drive significant value for its customers by improving trade spend ROI and operational efficiency.”
 
Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.