Planet, a global technology leader, has combined with Hoist Group, Proximis, Datatrans and protel Hotelsoftware to power digital commerce, with industry leading cloud software and payments solutions for the Retail, Hospitality, and Financial Services verticals. The combined company operates in over 120 markets and employs more than 2,000 people worldwide.

Planet’s strategy to combine software, payments and technology is driven by its customers’ need to deliver consistent, convenient and personalised experiences, which meet the changing demands of their own consumers. Planet’s new offering enables its customers to connect all of their channels, both online and offline, aligning previously fragmented software and payment systems which prioritised function over end customer experience.

The creation of a single end-to-end platform allows retailers to support unified shopper journeys across all channels, including complex processes, such as click and collect, shop and ship, and advanced return management. For hoteliers, Planet offers integrated and built-in payments that power digital guest journeys, saving them time and enabling them to generate revenue through integrated value-added services. In addition, Planet works with a network of Financial Services Partners around the world to provide global payment processing solutions.

Majority owners Advent and Eurazeo have partnered to combine these companies into a vertically focussed global technology leader with an ambition to transform digital commerce for their customers. The two partners will continue to drive investment and innovation, drawing on their combined global reach and deep technology sector expertise.

The company will be led by Brent Warrington, who joins Planet with a highly successful track record leading high growth technology companies, including most recently PayPal, where he was the Global Head of Marketplaces. Prior to that, Brent spent five years as CEO of Hyperwallet, which was acquired by PayPal in 2019. Brent’s other leadership roles have included CEO of SecureNet Payment Systems (acquired by WorldPay) and CEO of FundsXpress (acquired by FirstData). Brent succeeds Patrick Waldron, who is joining the Planet Board of Directors.

Commenting on the announcement, Brent Warrington said:

“We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us to create a company that delivers innovative solutions that will be transformative for both our customers and their consumers, shoppers and guests through connected commerce.

“We will be a differentiated and disruptive force within our sector, which will drive our growth ambitions, and I look forward to updating you on our progress over the course of 2022.”