[May 08, 2012]

GS1 US and GS1 Germany Announce Joint Venture of Data Management Subsidiaries 1SYNC and SA2 Worldsync

GS1 US and GS1 Germany, two of the largest member organizations of the GS1 System, today announced they have signed a letter of intent to combine their 1SYNC (GS1 US) and SA2 Worldsync (GS1 Germany) subsidiaries.

GS1 US and GS1 Germany plan to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2012.

1SYNC and SA2 Worldsync together provide product data synchronization services and solutions to more than 15,000 businesses, directly or indirectly, in more than 40 countries. The highly complementary organizations manage product data for more than 7 million items, allowing some of the world's largest brand owners to share trusted product information with hundreds of trading partners via the GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network.

The two companies' customers include companies of all sizes, including many leading organizations across multiple industries such as consumer packaged goods, retail, food service and healthcare.

"All 1SYNC and SA2 Worldsync customers should be excited about the joint venture, as the companies have a shared vision and complementary strengths that will benefit the global communities they serve," said Rodney McMullen, president and chief operating officer of Kroger, who is also chairman of the GS1 US Board of Governors.

"The new company will be more global, and provide better data services today while creating scale and a smoother path to meeting our industry's requirements," said Otmar Debald, managing director of Procter & Gamble Germany, who is also chairman of the GS1 Germany Supervisory Board.

"This joint venture is all about meeting businesses' needs in rapidly changing, increasingly global markets," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US. "1SYNC and SA2 Worldsync are the clear leaders in business-to-business (B2B) product data management, but our customers, who are in multiple industries, increasingly need to share more and different product information with consumers (B2C) through new applications and new platforms, such as e-tailers. Our combined companies wil provide them with a global, single-touch, one-to-many product data management platform, helping companies use their product information to create a competitive advantage."

Jörg Pretzel, chief executive officer of GS1 Germany, said, "The joint venture will be collaborating to develop a new global technology platform that maintains our leadership in B2B and delivers a smart B2C capability not available from any other company. It will support brand owners' needs for providing trustworthy product data to consumers, where currently a large percentage of product data accessed by smartphone apps or the Internet is incorrect or missing."

More details will be communicated after the combination is complete.

About GS1 US

GS1 US, a member of GS1, is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 standards. More than 200,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). www.GS1US.org

About 1SYNC

1SYNC, the largest certified data pool in the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN), is dedicated to the implementation of standards-based, global supply chain solutions. 1SYNC offers a robust, easy-to-use solution that can reduce costly data errors and increase supply chain efficiencies for companies of all sizes. The growing 1SYNC community consists of 60 leading recipients and more than 7,000 suppliers worldwide. These customers are synchronizing product data on more than 6 million items in the GDSN. www.1SYNC.org.

About GS1 Germany

GS1 Germany supports companies from all sectors in the adoption and practical implementation of modern communication and process standards, in order to improve the efficiency of their business processes. Within Germany, the company is responsible for the maintenance and continued development of the GS1 article identification system GTIN for globally unique identification, which in turn serves as the basis for bar codes. Moreover, GS1 Germany supports the application of new technologies for fully automatic object identification (EPC/RFID) and offers customer-orientated solutions (ECR - Efficient Consumer Response). www.gs1-germany.de

About SA2 Worldsync

SA2 Worldsync is a leading provider of global product data management solutions. We support global and local companies representing different industries with innovative technologies and services for price and product data synchronization, couponing and master data management. SA2 Worldsync leverages GS1 Standards and operates several industry and region specific data pools certified by the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). Our services are used by more than 8,000 companies in over 30 countries, including 48 of the world's leading retailers. SA2 Worldsync is the exclusive technology and service provider for 16 GS1 member organizations and partner companies worldwide. www.sa2worldsync.com

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