He disagreed that Epicor will have to take its eye off the ball while dealing with merger issues. “Epicor’s messaging is 100-percent correct,” he said. One reason is that as opposed to Microsoft, which is selling ERP products that need to be accompanied by more products - "the stack" and third-party products, Epicor is providing a single supply-chain application, an approach that he calls “a message the market wants to hear.” He also believes that Epicor will be able to incorporate Activant’s distribution products into Epicor’s package instead of needed to build out more functionality. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported an investor identified as the Field Family Trust has sued over the deal, claiming the purchase price doesn't reflect the company's true value. Apax is offering about $976 million for Epicor via a tender offer with the total deal worth about $2 billion. The plaintiff claimed the primary reason for the Epicor sale is the desire of Elliott Associates, which owns about 14 percent of the company's shares, to liquidate its holdings. Field is not a major holder. Two years ago, Elliott attempted to purchase the company itself. It has also been reported Apax will use a $1.41-billion loan to finance the deal.
EPICOR DEAL: PRO AND CON
Convergence provided an opportunity to get opinions on the looming purchase of Epicor and its combination with Activant Solutions, which sells specialized financial applications. A Microsoft employee said that the deal, in which private equity investor Apax Partners intends to buy both, will distract Epicor’s management and its sales force for at least year. “It’s great for Microsoft,” he said. That opinion may reflect the fact that Epicor has been making advances in the mid-market with its still relatively new product Epicor 9. An Epicor reseller said that it would “be great or awful, nothing in between.”
