Accor Services acquires Surf Gold for €12.6m, strengthens Marketing Services segment

Accor Services recently acquired Surf Gold for €12.6 million, an initiative part of its active external growth strategy.

With the acquisition, Accor Services, which already operates in Australia, China and India, has strengthened its presence in the region, “entering four new countries in which the Marketing Services segment enjoys solid prospects for growth”, stated the company.

Surf Gold, which offers loyalty and incentive solutions for company employees, partners and
Customers, has been present in Asia since 1999. It has operations in China, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Taiwan. The company leverages expert skills in marketing consulting, programme
management, technology platform installation or rewards distribution.

“By providing access to Surf Gold’s portfolio of forefront Asian companies and to its incentive and loyalty programne management platform, the acquisition will enable Accor Services to professionalsze and broaden the scope of its rewards and loyalty programnes, especially its range of gift vouchers,” stated Accor.

“This is a crucial move for Accor Services because it makes us a truly worldwide operator in Marketing Services,” said Serge Ragozin, Chief Executive Officer, Accor Services. “We can now respond to global tenders for incentive programmes with an integrated offering that clearly demonstrates to customers our ability to effectively manage all aspects of their motivation and loyalty programmes worldwide.”

The acquisition is in line with the development strategy launched by Accor Services in 2006, notably in the Marketing Services segment with the acquisition of Calicado (a web platform to enable simple delivery of incentive programmes in Germany), Royal Images Direct Maketing (relationship marketing in India), Tintelingen (personalised Christmas presents for companies in the Netherlands and Kadéos (gift vouchers and cards in France).