Boston – Proximus B2B LLC has acquired the Retail Systems Alert Group’s Retail Systems Conference & Exposition. Kevin Condon, Proximus CEO, has been appointed CEO of the Retail Systems Alert Group. Tom Friedman, the group’s President, will retain his management position, as will the rest of the Retail Systems management team. Friedman says, “This infusion of capital will allow us to use Retail Systems Alert Group’s past successes to grow the company and its product and service offerings.”
The Retail Systems Alert Group was founded 17 years ago by Friedman and has become a global event, research and publishing company with offices in Boston, MA and Hove, England and affiliates in Tokyo. The firm focuses on tech advances within the retail, CPG and apparel industries.
The company’s largest event, The Retail Systems 2004/VICS Collaborative Conference, drew 3,700 industry professionals to Chicago’s McCormick Place and featured more than 300 companies on the show floor. One prominent feature of the show is its Tech Tours, a three-part program for attendees that includes a marketplace analysis, panel discussion and then a guded tour of five selected exhibitors with product demos developed specifically for them. Other events in the company’s portfolio include the Global Retail Technology Forum in Barcelona, Spain next March and Retail Technology Summit Tokyo. The Retail Systems Alert Group also publishes Retail Systems Alert (SM), Retail IT Research Report, and Top of the Net ® weekly update.
Condon cites the two companies’ shared focus on providing quality B2B information. “There is a great need for high-quality information in the business world, and together we look forward to providing that through our events and publishing products,” says Condon.
Retail Systems is the first step in Proximus’s strategy of acquiring and developing multiple products in the B2B media sector. Proximus, a Boston-based firm, is funded by Alta Communications. Condon is a former executive of Reed Publishing’s Travel Group, which was later acquired by Northstar Travel Media LLC.
Reach Kevin Condon at (617) 527-4626 or kcondon@retailsystems.com or Tom Friedman at (617) 527-4626 x113 or tfriedman@retailsystems.com
PHOTO: A unique feature of The Retail Systems show is Tech Tours, a program introduced seven years ago. The three-pronged program starts with a marketplace analysis session followed by a panel discussion with industry experts who discuss current and future product development within a given technology category. Attendees are then taken on a guided tour of five select exhibitors and see product demos.
