Acosta Acquires TrueDemand Software

Posted December 3, 2009

Software to enhance marketing services offering for leading CPG sales and marketing agency

(Jacksonville, Fla., December 3, 2009) – Acosta Sales and Marketing Company has acquired selected assets from TrueDemand Software, a leading provider of store-level insights and analytics solutions for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies.

TrueDemand, based in Los Gatos, Calif., provides software and services that help CPG companies lift sales while improving store operations, replenishment and supply chain business processes. The solution enables client teams to assess daily sales performance and to take action on specific recommendations.
“Acosta has made a commitment to enhance its marketing services capabilities, and the addition of TrueDemand further demonstrates this mission,” Acosta Chief Strategy Officer Brian King said. “TrueDemand’s market-proven platform advances our modeling and analytics in a way that naturally extends our service offerings with our client partners.”

Key capabilities of the TrueDemand solution include:
* Automatically detecting and predicting out-of-stock items at the store shelf on a daily basis
* Creating a daily demand forecast at the distribution center and store level
* Correcting inaccurate inventory levels in stores
* Improving the effectiveness of store operations activities
* Measuring sales execution and performance across multiple retailers

Acosta Chief Marketing Officer Ramin Eivaz added, “TrueDemand has market-tested analytics to identify opportunities for our clients in the areas of lost sales, pricing and promotion analysis. Acosta already has strong capabilities around data and in-store execution. The addition of the TrueDemand solution will enhance our existing analytics and insights platform thereby providing our clients with a more robust marketing solution.”

TrueDemand was founded in 2004 by experts in retail science and the consumer product supply chain. As the company has grown, it has added specialists in retail replenishment science and systems to its team. TrueDemand continues to innovate and extend the value of its solutions with guidance from its customers and advisory board which includes well-known experts from industry, consulting and academia.

“We are excited to join forces with Acosta to provide CPG companies with the very best marketing services,” said Eric Peters, TrueDemand President and CEO. “As a part of Acosta we will be able to provide clients with value that is unmatched in the industry.”

About Acosta Sales and Marketing Company
Acosta Sales and Marketing Company is a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in North America, providing outsourced sales, merchandising, marketing, and promotional services to manufacturers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Acosta has more than 14,000 associates and operates throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information visit www.acosta.com.