Saratoga Systems bolsters leadership position in European sales automation market with the opening of three new offices.

CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 1996--Saratoga Systems Inc., a leading worldwide supplier of sales automation software, has reported record sales during 1995 for its worldwide operations, with the addition of more than 70 new customer contracts and a 40 percent increase in both revenues and profits.

The increase in business, both domestic and international, has propelled company growth and prompted the opening of three new European offices located in France, Germany and Sweden.

"Saratoga is unique in offering an easy-to-use, customized sales automation solution for companies from a variety of industries," stated Al Smith, president of Saratoga Systems. "With a strong clientele in insurance, manufacturing, utilities, financial services and other industries, Saratoga stands at the forefront of opportunities that exist both in the U.S. and abroad."

In business for nine years, Saratoga boasts one of the industry's largest sales automation customer bases, with more than 500 corporations and 30,000 individual users worldwide. Key new contracts awarded within the last year include Minolta, Quaker State, Consolidated Freightways, Bank of Ireland and Tektronix.

A new release of the company's flagship product, SPS, was introduced last month, prompting expectations for even further growth. SPS 3.5 opens up new markets for Saratoga, with support for Microsoft's Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) standard, Microsoft Access, Sybase SQL Anywhere (Watcom SQL) and DB2 for AIX (DB2/6000).

It also offers new features such as a drag-and-drop schedule planner, an integrated interface to WordPerfect 6.0 and an enhanced graphical user interface.

Expansion of Global Presence

A privately held company, Saratoga Systems has been consistently profitable since inception with no venture capital funding and no debt. According to an April 1995 report from the Gartner Group, a leading market research firm, 35 percent of Saratoga's revenues are generated from international sales, a percentage that is twice that of its major competitors.

Recognizing the wealth of opportunity that exists in the European market, Saratoga has expanded its global presence and opened three new offices in France, Sweden and Germany. Until now, the company had managed all European operations through Saratoga Systems Ltd. in Ascot, U.K.

"Our international expansion efforts will continue to focus on vertical markets in which Saratoga has had high implementation in the U.S. At the same time we will seek new opportunities in growth industries, such as health care and telecommunications," said Smith. "SPS can be customized to almost any European language, offering our international customers the ability to easily implement a localized software solution to automate their sales forces."

Industry Veterans Head Up European Offices

Four industry veterans have been brought in to oversee each of the new European offices, as well as the existing U.K. office. Froncois Thomas has been named Gerant (managing director) of the Paris office; Georg Brandl was appointed Geschaftsfuhrer (managing director) of the Munich office; and Dick Anderson is managing director of the Bromma, Sweden, office.

In addition, David Williams has been appointed to serve as managing director of the U.K. office.

Sales operations in the United States, Canada, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region will continue to be coordinated from the company's Campbell, Calif., headquarters.

Founded in 1987, Saratoga Systems Inc. is a leading worldwide developer and supplier of sales automation software. The company manages worldwide operations from its Campbell, Calif. headquarters, as well as from Saratoga Systems companies in the U.K., France, Germany and Sweden. Saratoga Systems products are presently installed at client sites in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information, contact Saratoga Systems Inc., 1550 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell, Calif. 95008. Telephone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; http://www.saratogasystems.com.

In the United Kingdom, contact Saratoga Systems Ltd., Coworth Park House, Coworth Park, Ascot S15 7SF, U.K. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone].

In France, contact Agotaras SARL, 7 Rue Saint Helene, Paris 75013, France. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone].

In Germany, contact Saratoga Systems GmbH, Neumarkter Strasse 88b, Munchen 81673, Germany. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone].

In Sweden, contact Saratoga Systems AB, Ekbacksvagen 20 1tr, Bromma S-168 69, Sweden. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: SPS and Saratoga Systems are trademarks of Saratoga Systems Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. All other trademarks are property of their respective companies.

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