Copy Cat seeks bigger market with 51 pc stake in Seal Africa

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 — updated on December 15, 2020 - 2 min read

Copy Cat Ltd executive director Vishal Patel speaks during at an press interview last year. Copy Cat has bought a 51 per cent stake in Seal Africa in a move that gives it a larger presence in the software business where the acquisition target is strong.

Office solutions firm Copy Cat has bought a 51 per cent stake in Seal Africa in a move that gives it a larger presence in the software business where the acquisition target is strong.

Copy Cat deals in office equipment such as safes, computers, printers, and is a major distributor of enterprise software to government ministries and agencies.

Seal is one of the largest dealers in enterprise software –automating all organisational functions like accounting and supply management—in the private sector.

The multi-million-shilling deal is aimed at helping Copy Cat tap into Seal’s established clients and distribution rights to SAP’s (a German firm) proprietary software in East Africa.

“The acquisition gives Copy Cat an easy entry in the private sector software market as it doesn’t have to start from scratch or look for new distribution licences,” said Serge Blockmans, the CEO of Seal Africa.

Seal is a start-up company established in 2007 and Mr Blockmans is one of the founders who have sold their stake to Copy Cat.

The start-up’s annual turnover stood at $1.5 million (Sh126 million) last year. Its acquirer Copy Cat has an annual turnover of between $50 (Sh4.2 billion) and $60 million (Sh5 billion), according to Mr Blockhams.

Seal has operations in the region and some of its local clients include Kenya Power, Rural Electrification Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Mumias Sugar, and BIDCO.

Enterprise software are becoming popular in the world as they facilitate the flow of information among all business functions in an organization as well as manage the relationships with external stakeholders.

Microsoft Applications, Oracle, and Sage Pastel are other major players in the enterprise software market besides SAP.

SAP is the world leader in enterprise applications in terms of software and software-related service revenue. It is the world’s third largest independent software manufacturer.