Partnership with ABANA Enterprises Group Co.

17 January 2012

Escher Group Holdings plc ("Escher")

Escher to work with ABANA Enterprises Group Co on the Automation of Saudi Post

Escher, a world-leading provider of outsourced, point-of-sale software to the postal industry, is pleased to announce its partnership with ABANA Enterprises Group Co. (ABANA) in a project to modernise Saudi Arabia's Post Office. ABANA is an industry leader with over 30 years of experience in providing technology and service solutions to leading enterprises.

As part of the project, Escher will grant a licence to its RiposteEssential software and, to ensure the optimum value to Saudi Post, will provide service and maintenance on a phased basis. The first phase provides for the licensing of workstations, a project planning workshop and project team definitions. Subsequent phases will include customisation of the software, maintenance and training services.

Riposte Essential is a comprehensive retail management solution. The product is currently used by postal operators across the globe and underpins a demanding number and variety of transactions.

Liam Church, Escher's CEO, commented: "We are delighted Saudi Post has chosen RiposteEssential for its counter automation project and that ABANA will be our partner.

"Escher's experience in a number of critical transformation projects, combined with ABANA's local knowledge and capabilities, will provide a strong operational model for Saudi Arabia. This contract win highlights our commitment to rolling out our product to post offices in the Middle East that are looking to automate and innovate their offering."

Abdullah M. Bin Jebreen, ABANA's President, added: "We are proud to be once again in the forefront of technological advancement. Our partnership with Escher attests to our commitment to partner with world-class, leading technology providers that can provide value-added solutions to our clients. Our in-depth and diverse experience in project implementation, together with our specialisation in technical services, will definitely pave the way for delivering winning results.

 "We are grateful to Saudi Post for giving us their trust and confidence on this significant project."

For further information please contact:

Escher www.eschergroupholdings.com +353 (0) 1 479 0555

Liam Church, Chief Executive Officer

Fionnuala Higgins, EVP Sales & Marketing

Trevor McIntyre, Finance Director

Panmure Gordon +44 (0) 20 7459 3600

Andrew Godber / Callum Stewart, Corporate Finance

Hannah Woodley, Corporate Broking

Powerscourt +44 (0)20 7250 1446

Paul Durman / Nick Dibden

About Escher

Escher is a world-leading provider of outsourced, point-of-sale software to the postal industry. Escher's core software, Riposte, provides a solution for postal authorities who are seeking to counteract a decrease in traditional mail revenue by expanding revenue opportunities through new services, thereby reducing cost and increasing efficiency.

Postal authorities' software requirements have become more complex, leading to a growing trend towards outsourcing. Riposte is already in use in over 30 countries and territories worldwide. It is licensed for over 150,000 workstations.

The Group is targeting continued growth through incremental sales to existing customers, new sales within the postal industry, penetration of new vertical markets and through the launch of its revolutionary new product, RiposteTrEx.

About ABANA

ABANA is an industry leader with over 30 years of in-depth experience in providing innovative products, solutions, and value-added services to premier organisations in Saudi Arabia. 

ABANA pioneered the Fast Track™ service - the one-hour solution for mission critical operations. ABANA's service strength include 19 service centers, more than 450 field engineers, technicians and support staff strategically scattered across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The field team is supported by in-house software development team and bilingual help desk agents equipped with sophisticated customer service software to manage service calls efficiently and effectively and assure compliance with service level agreements.