Zebra acquires retail equipment specialist Elo

US group Zebra, which specialises in point-of-sale solutions and scanners, has announced its acquisition of California-based Elo Touch Solutions, a specialist in retail terminals.

The acquisition of Elo, majority-owned by Crestview Partners since 2018, will expand Zebra’s total addressable market to $8 billion. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed. The deal gives the Illinois-based company access to a portfolio of terminals designed to eliminate queues at checkout and to expand self-service in stores.

“The combination of Zebra and Elo is particularly attractive to companies that are accelerating their digital transformation and automating their operations, in order to deliver in-person experiences that are as intelligent and connected as those in the digital world,” said Bill Burns, CEO of Zebra Technologies. “This acquisition strengthens our strategic position in the retail, hospitality, quick-service restaurant, healthcare and manufacturing sectors, thanks to the breadth and complementarity of our solution portfolios.”

Zebra notes that, beyond retail, Elo’s solutions are also suited to use in hospitals, airports, hotels, production facilities and even packaging companies. Elo Touch Solutions is said to hold around a hundred patents in its field of expertise.

Zebra currently employs 9,000 people across 54 countries. Elo Touch Solutions, for its part, has around 1,200 employees, with some 35 million touchscreens deployed over the years in more than 80 countries.