Epicor Software Corp., one of the county’s largest software makers, has moved its headquarters from Irvine to Northern California.
The recent move had been expected since the company was acquired in May for $976 million by London-based Apax Partners LLC, which quickly tapped industry veteran and Bay Area-based executive Pervez Qureshi to lead the company.
The leadership change was one of the first management decisions made after the private equity firm bought Epicor and Northern California-based Activant Solutions Inc. in a pair of deals valued at $2 billion.
Apax is combining Epicor with Activant, which are expected to combine for about $825 million in annual sales and focus on manufacturers, distributors, service providers and retailers.
Epicor is the surviving corporate entity.
The company’s new headquarters is in Livermore, near San Francisco.
In early June, the Business Journal reported that Qureshi, who had been the chief executive of Activant, was set to replace longtime Epicor boss George Klaus, paving the way for a possible headquarters move.
Klaus is a 15-year veteran of Epicor and in his 70s. He stepped away from the top post several years ago before returning.
Klaus has retained his role as chairman and will “continue to play an important part in the company’s strategic development,” according to Epicor.
Epicor’s software helps companies manage operations, back-end tasks and customer relationships.
It was the fifth-largest software maker here earlier this year with about $450 million in annual sales, and the 31st-largest public company, according to Business Journal research.
THE NEWS:
Epicor Software moves headquarters from Irvine to Livermore
THE BACKGROUND:
Bay Area-based executive’s May appointment to lead the company paved the way for relocation
WHAT’S AHEAD:
The company’s local operation in Irvine will move from Irvine Towers to Lakeshore Towers by year’s end
Irvine Presence
The company employs about 250 engineers, designers, sales, marketing and administrative personnel in Irvine and is expected to maintain a big presence there.
That will include several key executives, including the software maker’s chief information and chief marketing officers, and its head of customer support and service.
The finance department will move to Austin, Texas, according to an Epicor spokesperson. Activant’s accounting division is in Austin.
The Business Journal reported in April that Epicor signed a deal to move its local operations to the Lakeshore Towers office complex near John Wayne Airport, across the street from where it had been.
The lease included an Epicor sign on top of the 18-story building at 18101 Von Karman Ave.
The company is leasing about 68,000 square feet of space there, taking up three of the office tower’s top four floors, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Moving Soon
It has been leasing about 74,000 square feet at the nearby Irvine Towers, and is expected to move to the new offices by the end of the year.
Activant leases about 80,000 square feet at its Livermore headquarters in a deal that runs through next year.
Apax’s $976 million buy of Epicor ended the company’s nearly 20-year stint as a public company.
Epicor went public in 1992 as Platinum Software Corp. and changed its name in 1999.
