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Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Demandware

Jun 01, 2016

With Demandware, Salesforce, the #1 CRM, will extend its Customer Success Platform with new Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Demandware is the global cloud leader in the multi-billion dollar digital commerce market
Leading global brands including Design Within Reach, Lands’ End, L’Oreal and Marks & Spencer rely on Demandware to power their commerce and connect 1:1 with consumers across the web, mobile, social and in-store experiences

SAN FRANCISCO and BURLINGTON, Mass., June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the Customer Success Platform and the world’s #1 CRM company, and Demandware (NYSE: DWRE), the industry-leading provider of enterprise cloud commerce solutions, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Salesforce will acquire Demandware in a transaction worth approximately $2.8 billion (net of cash acquired). Under the terms of the agreement, Salesforce will commence a tender offer for all outstanding shares of Demandware for $75.00 per share, in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2017, ending July 31, 2016.

Comments on the News:

  • “Demandware is an amazing company—the global cloud leader in the multi-billion dollar digital commerce market,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, Salesforce. “With Demandware, Salesforce will be well positioned to deliver the future of commerce as part of our Customer Success Platform and create yet another billion dollar cloud.”
  • “Demandware and Salesforce share the same passionate focus on customer success,” said Tom Ebling, CEO, Demandware. “Becoming part of Salesforce will accelerate our vision to empower the world’s leading brands with the most innovative digital commerce solutions that enable them to connect 1:1 with customers across any channel.”

According to Gartner, worldwide spending on digital commerce platforms is expected to grow at over 14 percent annually, reaching $8.544 billion by 2020 (Gartner, Inc. Forecast: Enterprise Software Markets, Worldwide, 2013-2020, 1Q16 Update, March 17, 2016).

Salesforce’s acquisition of Demandware, a recognized leader in the space, will extend the company’s CRM leadership and position it to capture this multi-billion dollar digital commerce market with what will be the new Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

The Salesforce Commerce Cloud will be an integral part of Salesforce’s Customer Success Platform, creating opportunities for companies to connect with their customers in entirely new ways. Salesforce customers will have access to the industry’s leading enterprise cloud commerce platform, and Demandware’s customers will be able to leverage Salesforce’s leading sales, service, marketing, communities, analytics, IoT and platform solutions to deliver a more comprehensive, personalized consumer experience.

Demandware—the Industry Leading Enterprise Cloud Commerce Platform
Demandware enables leading global brands including Design Within Reach, Lands’ End, L’Oreal and Marks & Spencer to deliver personalized, 1:1 experiences for consumers and power their commerce across the web, mobile, social and in the store.

Details Regarding the Proposed Demandware Acquisition
Under the terms of the transaction, Salesforce will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Demandware for $75.00 per share in cash.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2017, ending July 31, 2016, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the acceptance of a majority of Demandware shares in the tender offer and expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Following the successful completion of the tender offer, Demandware shares not tendered in the tender offer will be converted in a second step merger into the right to receive the same $75.00 per share in cash paid in the tender offer.