EUROPE: IT services company Atos Origin announced on March 30 the acquisition of Shere of the UK, which supplies self-service and desktop ticket sales systems. Paris-based Atos Origin said the deal forms part of a strategy to increase revenue from transaction-based services.

Founded in 1992, Shere recorded revenues of £11m in 2009, and 90 employees will transfer to Atos Origin. 'The acquisition will enable us to provide our UK clients in the rail and hospitality markets with the agile, innovative, pay-per-use retail solutions necessary to meet the increase in demand for internet and self-service retailing solutions, which we believe will increase in rail alone to more than 50% of the sales market over the next eight years', said Atos Origin UK CEO Keith Wilman.