Apricot Financial Systems yesterday christened a new agency agreement for its Quasar portfolio and unit trust management software with Dutch end of UK software and systems house Computer Management Group with a UKP300,000 order from Bank Insenger Willems. Running on a DEC MicroVAX the system will be modified and supported by Apricot staff for the Dutch market and the main screens will be rewritten in Dutch. Managing director Mike Winn said the agreement is part of Apricot’s strategy of teaming up with major software companies throughout the world, enabling Apricot strengthen its foreign presence without committing vast resources to overseas offices. Based in Amsterdam, but operating through Holland and Belgium, CMG Amstelveen NV will look project manage all Quasar implementations – Apricot has identified five other good possibilities in Holland alone. Quasar is the core business for the Apricot Financial Systems division of Edgbaston, Birmingham-based Apricot Computers Plc. About 80% of its business is in the UK, but it wants to do half its busienss abroad within a couple of years. It signed an agency agreement for the system with Hong Kong-based and Japanese-owned Toppan Moore last May (CI No 922) and expects to announce an Australian agreement within two months. Japan and the US remain long term goals. It has not abandoned the home market and says business, running at two or three sales a month, is up on last year.
