After months of planning, Softline, a provider of business management software to SMEs, has announced that it will be rebranding as Sage South Africa, effective immediately.
Softline is the holding company for prominent South African software products such as Pastel Accounting and Payroll, VIP Payroll, Sage 300 ERP (Accpac) and Sage ERP X3.
Softline joined the Sage Group plc in 2003 after delisting from the JSE and is the central team of the Africa, Australia, Middle East and Asia (AAMEA) region, a grouping of territories headed by Softline co-founder and CEO of Sage AAMEA Ivan Epstein.
“I’m feeling slightly nostalgic of course, we have a very proud past and a great heritage, but it’s also an exciting step towards our future,” says Epstein.
Business as usual
The Sage Group plc, a FTSE 100 company, is a leading global provider of business management software to SMEs with over 6,5 million customers in 24 countries. Epstein attributes the rebranding in South Africa to the alignment with Softline’s parent company, The Sage Group in the continued pursuit of a global brand.
“Softline has been part of The Sage Group for many years and over this time we have continued to grow in prominence. To move forward we believe that it is now time to leverage the global power of The Sage Group and align ourselves fully with the brand.”
Epstein says that while the company’s branding will change, it’s business as usual for Sage South Africa. “Our continued vision in South Africa, and globally, is to be recognised as the most valuable supporter of SMEs by creating greater freedom for them to succeed,” he says. “This vision supports the path of providing local expertise and leadership combined with global learnings and experience of Sage.”