BusinessVision Expands in U.S. With New Headquarters in San Francisco Bay Area.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2001

Top-rated Accounting Software Vendor Taps Key Members of Former

SBT and Accpac Sales Teams to Lead BusinessVision's

U.S. Sales and Marketing Efforts

BusinessVision, a subsidiary of Softline Inc. and a leading manufacturer of accounting software for the small-to-medium business market, today unveiled its new U.S. headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area. The U.S. corporate office will serve as a launch pad for aggressive nationwide BusinessVision sales and marketing efforts.

David Dierke, previously senior vice-president of sales at SBT Accounting Systems (now Accpac International), will lead BusinessVision's U.S. sales efforts as executive vice-president of sales, overseeing a sales and marketing team in Marin County, California. Dierke will report directly to Murray Aston, founder and president of BusinessVision.

Dierke's track record for building some of the most exclusive dealer channels in the software industry, first with AutoDesk and then with SBT, makes him a natural choice to lead BusinessVision's sales efforts in the U.S. In addition to Dierke, Softline Inc. has acquired several other top sales performers from SBT and Accpac to help bolster its U.S. accounting software sales efforts.

"BusinessVision has accurately identified the need in the U.S. marketplace for a proven, right-priced accounting software package that ships as a comprehensive, all-inclusive, hit-the-bricks-running solution for the small to medium business market," said Val Steed, CEO of K2 Enterprises, the nation's leading provider of technology training to the CPA community. "They have a tremendous product in BusinessVision 32, which was ranked very highly this past year by K2 in the annual Reseller Accounting Software survey. Their addition of former SBT heavy hitters, most notably David Dierke, signals the arrival of a significant new player in the U.S. small to medium accounting market."

During his tenure with SBT, Dierke was responsible for more than doubling SBT's revenue and tripling profitability over a three-year period.

BusinessVision's channel of more than 1,300 authorized resellers will benefit from expanded sales and marketing presence in the U.S. Planned initiatives include a robust channel marketing program, which will generate a significant volume of quality sales leads for the rapidly growing BusinessVision channel in the U.S.

"We're very pleased to have David Dierke on board to lead our continued sales and marketing expansion in the U.S. market," said Murray Aston. "David's proven skill set in growing and nurturing a successful sales channel is a glove fit with BusinessVision's strategy to rapidly and successfully penetrate the U.S. small to mid-range market. The establishment of a U.S. corporate office on the West Coast is ideal from a strategic geographic standpoint, and we'll continue to take advantage of the excellent talent pool in this region."

"Today's announcement is exciting news for BusinessVision resellers, as well as those considering partnering with BusinessVision," said Bruce Andersen of SRS Consulting, an authorized BusinessVision reseller serving all of California. "These are the most full-featured accounting software products at the most attractive price points on the market today for small to medium-sized businesses. The addition of BusinessVision sales and marketing resources in the U.S. should be cause for concern among competitive vendors."

About BusinessVision

Founded in 1987, BusinessVision Management Systems develops and markets accounting software to the small and midrange business market. BusinessVision is a subsidiary of Softline, a leading global business software vendor in South Africa, Australia, Canada and now the United States, with an established presence throughout 38 countries. With worldwide headquarters in Toronto, Ontario and U.S. headquarters in Marin County, California, BusinessVision has over 120,000 users and 1,300 authorized resellers worldwide. Visit BusinessVision at www.businessvision.com.