Oracle To Snap Up Micros Systems For £2.9bn – Report

Software goliath Oracle is expected to acquire Micros Systems, a maker of point-of-sale hardware and software for the retail and hospitality sector.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Oracle is likely to pay approximately $5bn (£2.9bn) for the company.

Serial Purchaser

The WSJ cited a person familiar with the matter as its source, and said the deal should be announced today, barring any last minute hitches. The deal will apparently value the Columbia, Maryland company at more than $67 (£39) a share.

If the report is true, it would  be Oracle’s largest purchase since it acquired Sun Microsystems for $5.6 billion (£3.3bn) in 2009. That deal finally closed in 2010 after much opposition and regulatory scrutiny.

Oracle’s interest in Micros Systems lies in the fact that it makes point-of-sale hardware and software for the restaurant, casino and hotel trade. Oracle is said to be keen flex its financial clout in order to expand its presence in the retail and hospitality industries.

Cloud Future

Oracle has traditionally sold its software and databases into the enterprise market, but lately has been heavily promoting its own cloud-based products and services. Last December, it acquired marketing software maker Responsys for $1.5bn (£945m) in cash, in an effort to build up its cloud portfolio.

And this February Oracle added more substance to its cloud building initiative with the acquisition of online data management startup BlueKai.

The Redwood City, California-based company is centring its new Oracle Cloud offerings on the Oracle 12c database. Larry Ellison has previously said that he expects its newest database to be the “foundation of a modern cloud”, thanks to its multi-tenancy capability at the database layer.

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