Subscribe
  • Home
  • /
  • Software
  • /
  • Sage Pastel opens new East African headquarters

Sage Pastel opens new East African headquarters


Johannesburg, 04 Aug 2011

Sage Pastel, the continent's leading developer of accounting and business software, opened its new offices and training centre in Nairobi, Kenya, last week. The new headquarters will provide the full suite of Sage Pastel's programs and technical support for the East African market.

The launch is a culmination of the company's 10-year presence in the East African region, and the offices and resources will be shared with Sage VIP Payroll, also part of the international Sage Group.

Sage Pastel already has an East African customer base of four thousand businesses, and over the last two years has experienced year-on-year regional growth of 20%. Nikki Summers, the East African regional manager for Sage International, says: “It was a natural progression to invest in enhancing the customer experience and to grow the Pastel market share.”

Sage Pastel, part of the London listed Sage Group, has invested heavily in resources to ensure the success of the venture for both current and new customers. Strong development teams have been created specifically to support the unique software requirements of the East African market, and the fully fledged training centre will ensure that customers have access to local support and technical skills.

Globally, Sage Pastel is actively involved in the development of small and medium-sized businesses, and East Africa is no exception. Summers says: “Often mid-sized organisations are not fully recognised for the contribution they make to a country's GDP, especially in tough economic times. A stronger Pastel presence in the region will go a long way to providing the much needed support SMEs require to enhance their profile.”

Already, Pastel has partnered with KPMG and National Media to produce the East African Top 100 Companies survey, which assesses the penetration of SMEs in Kenya by tracking local trends and uncovering the issues they face.

Current survey results reported that 93% of Kenyan businesses use accounting software and that 95% of businesses are already using computers and Internet infrastructure for daily transactions and business management.

The number of Kenya's Internet users has risen dramatically over the last four months, increasing by 11.4% to 8.69 million people. Managing director of Sage Pastel, Steven Cohen, believes that greater Internet penetration will change the way local businesses operate. “The increase in speed, accessibility, mobility, convenience and effectiveness of the Internet means that using online business applications like customer relationship management, business intelligence and enterprise resource planning will surely gain popularity.”

With official offices and a training centre in Nairobi, Sage Pastel is in a good position to meet new market trends, while supporting local SMEs with the best in cutting-edge technology and service delivery. Summers concludes: “We are now fully equipped to build a Sage community in East Africa and intend to be the market leader within this region.”

Sage Pastel's offices are now located at 4th floor, Navina Towers, Westlands Road, Westlands, Nairobi, and can be contacted on Eastafrica@sagepastel.com.

Share

Sage Pastel and Sage VIP Payroll

Sage Pastel is the continent's leading developer of accounting, payroll and business management software for the small, medium and large enterprise market. Since inception, Pastel has developed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the industry, establishing itself as a market leader and the preferred choice for entrepreneurial business owners.

Sage VIP Payroll is a leading supplier of payroll and human resource management solutions. VIP products are synonymous with ease of use, stability and reliability, with the flexibility to cater to the unique needs of every client. VIP promises long-term sustainability over and above legislative compliance. VIP understands the human resources and payroll environment and offers the client peace of mind by providing a total solution.

The Sage Group

The Sage Group is a leading global supplier of business management software and related products and services, principally for small to medium-sized enterprises. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. Sage has 6.3 million customers and 13 600 employees worldwide. It operates in over 24 countries covering the UK, Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, India and China. For further information, please visit http://www.sage.com.

Editorial contacts

Carolyn De Kock
lingo communications
(+27) 011 447 0321
carolyn@lingocom.co.za
Nikki Summers
Sage Pastel Accounting
(+25)4 724 715 622
nikki.summers@sagepastel.com