SAS Reels In Marketmax

SAS Institute Inc., looking to expand its presence in the market for retail business-intelligence applications, says it's acquiring Marketmax Inc., a developer of retail-merchandise-planning software. The cost of the deal was not disclosed by the privately held companies.

Marketmax's software includes merchandise, assortment, store layout, and promotional-event-planning applications, as well as forecasting and performance-analysis applications. For example, retailers use the software to make sure they have the right mix of merchandise in the right stores. The company's customers include The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Marks & Spenser.

SAS is integrating its analysis, forecasting, customer-intelligence, and data-mining software with Marketmax's products to create a complete line of retail intelligence applications, the company says. SAS already counts a number of major retailers among its customers, including Wal-Mart The Limited, and Amazon.com.

It's the sixth acquisition since 2000 for SAS, which has extended its analysis capabilities into vertical markets such as financial services and life sciences. SAS is also acquiring Marketmax's team of retail-industry experts. Marketmax will become an SAS division and continue to operate from its Wakefield, Mass., headquarters.