BRITISH BUSINESS software group Sage has bought Dublin-based retail software firm Integral Computers in a deal worth up to €20 million.

The acquisition is being made by Sage subsidiary Sage Pay, and will bolster its current payment offering and increasing the size of its potential market.

Integral Computers provides secure card payment services at more than 30,000 electronic point of sale terminals throughout Ireland and the UK, mainly to small- and medium-sized businesses. It is integrated with all the main UK and Irish acquiring banks.

Following the acquisition Sage Pay will integrate its current ecommerce gateway with Integral’s point of sale services, allowing both on- and offline sellers to carry out card transactions regardless of where their business is located and providing single payment processing to customers.

Following the sale, Integral will be rebranded as part of Sage Pay. It employs about 40 people, who will remain with the new entity.

Integral’s managing director Sean Wilson described the move as an exciting opportunity for the Dún Laoghaire-based company.

“The strong technology and cultural fit between the organisations will ensure our combined potential is achieved, which we believe is key for delivering on the opportunities and expectations in the payments ecosystem,” he said.

Founded in 1989, Integral’s products have been used to process about 87 million transactions in the past 12 months, with a total value of €5 billion. The firm provides services to the hospitality, petroleum and retail sectors.

Sage Pay chief executive Simon Black said the acquisition would allow the company to offer “best-in-class” multichannel payment services.

“Sage Pay offers a unique service proposition in payments, and the acquisition of Integral offers even more value to our customers and business partners,” he said.

Sage Pay currently provides ecommerce and mail or telephone order services to more than 36,000 businesses.

There are about 600,000 merchants accepting cards as payment in the UK and Ireland, and the market is continuing to grow.