Salmat

Salmat was an Australian marketing-services company founded in Sydney in 1979 by Phil Salter and Peter Mattick. It began as a catalogue-distribution business, helping retailers place promotional material into consumers' homes, and developed into a broad communications-services group covering catalogue distribution, direct marketing, printing, digital commerce, contact centres, business-process outsourcing and related customer-experience services. Its clients included major Australian organisations such as Woolworths, Target Australia, Telstra and the Australian Government. The company expanded substantially during the 1980s and 1990s. News Limited acquired a 49 percent interest in 1984 after competing with Fairfax in a bidding process, but the founders later regained full control by buying back News Limited's stake in 1998. Salmat became a public company on the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2002. The listing supported an acquisition-led expansion strategy, including the purchase of SalesForce Australia, a major call-centre operator, as well as printing, interactive-commerce and digital-marketing businesses. In 2007 Salmat acquired SPA from Kodak Australia, substantially increasing its scale in catalogue and promotional-media distribution. At its peak, Salmat employed more than 4,000 people across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. The company reported rapid revenue growth during the 2000s, although the business later underwent significant restructuring. Its business-process-outsourcing operation was sold to Fuji Xerox in 2012, and Salmat repositioned itself from a traditional multichannel communications provider toward an omnichannel model combining physical distribution, digital channels, customer contact and data-enabled services. It also operated or supplied technology and services for contact centres, including the VeCommerce, VeConnect and VeSecure products, and was selected in 2014 to operate Australia's Do Not Call Register on behalf of the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Management and ownership changed during the later period. The founders stepped away from day-to-day operations in 2009; Peter Mattick subsequently returned as non-executive chairman in 2013. Craig Dower became chief executive in 2014, followed by Rebecca Lowde in 2017. Salmat progressively disposed of its operating divisions. Probe Group acquired its Contact Centre business in 2018. In 2019, IVE Group bought Salmat Marketing Solutions and Reach Media New Zealand, covering major catalogue-distribution activities, while Probe BPO Holdings acquired the MicroSourcing managed-services business. These transactions left Salmat without operating divisions. Members resolved to wind up the company in August 2020, bringing the corporate brand's independent operating life to an end.

Salmat was established in Sydney in 1979 by Phil Salter and Peter Mattick as a catalogue-distribution company. Its early business was built around the physical delivery of retail catalogues and other promotional material. In 1984, News Limited acquired a 49 percent interest after competing with Fairfax, providing capital for expansion. The founders later bought back that interest and restored full control in 1998. The company grew rapidly in the 2000s and broadened beyond catalogue delivery. It listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2002 and used its public-company resources to acquire businesses in contact centres, printing, interactive commerce and digital marketing. Significant transactions included SalesForce Australia in 2004, a New South Wales printing service in 2005, VeCommerce in 2006, Dialect Interactive in 2006 and SPA from Kodak Australia in 2007. Salmat also participated in a New Zealand media joint venture, Reach Media, after the sale of Deltarg's targeted-media operations to New Zealand Post. Salmat's expanded portfolio included direct marketing, catalogue distribution, digital commerce, customer contact and business-process outsourcing. Its clients included major retailers, telecommunications companies and government bodies. The company reached a workforce of more than 4,000 across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Its reported revenue passed important growth thresholds during the decade, but the group subsequently reassessed its structure and strategic direction. The founders retired from daily management in 2009. In 2012 Salmat sold its business-process-outsourcing operation to Fuji Xerox, a transaction that helped redirect the company from a conventional multichannel model toward an omnichannel communications strategy. Peter Mattick returned as non-executive chairman in 2013, while Craig Dower became chief executive in 2014 and Rebecca Lowde took the chief executive role in 2017. In 2014 Salmat won the contract to operate Australia's Do Not Call Register for the Australian Communications and Media Authority. The later history was dominated by divestments. Probe Group bought the Contact Centre business in 2018. In 2019 IVE Group acquired Salmat Marketing Solutions and Reach Media New Zealand, while Probe BPO Holdings acquired the MicroSourcing managed-services business. The company consequently sold all of its operational divisions. At a members' meeting on 28 August 2020, Salmat resolved to wind up and appoint liquidators. The liquidation ended Salmat as an operating marketing-services group.

• 2020

  Winding up

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Members resolve to wind up Salmat and appoint liquidators in August.

• 2019

  Final operating-division disposals

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  IVE Group and Probe BPO Holdings acquire major remaining Salmat businesses.

• 2018

  Contact Centre sale

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Probe Group acquires Salmat's Contact Centre business.

• 2014

  Do Not Call Register contract

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Salmat is appointed to operate the Australian Do Not Call Register for the communications regulator.

• 2012

  Strategic shift toward omnichannel communications

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Following the sale of its business-process-outsourcing operation to Fuji Xerox, Salmat changes strategic emphasis.

• 2007

  SPA acquisition

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Salmat acquires SPA from Kodak Australia, increasing its scale in promotional distribution.

• 2002

  ASX listing

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Salmat lists on the Australian Securities Exchange on 2 December.

• 1998

  Founders regain full control

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  The founders buy back News Limited's interest.

• 1984

  News Limited takes a minority stake

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  News Limited acquires 49 percent of Salmat following a contest with Fairfax.

• 1979

  Salmat is founded in Sydney

  [1]Salmaten.wikipedia.org

  Phil Salter and Peter Mattick establish the company as a catalogue-distribution business.

A large-scale Australian provider of integrated physical, digital, contact-centre and outsourced business communications.

• Direct marketing · 1979

  Catalogue distribution

  Salmat's original and historically central service was the distribution of retail catalogues and promotional material. The business connected retailers with households through addressed and unaddressed physical distribution and later incorporated related marketing and media capabilities. Its catalogue operations ultimately included Salmat Marketing Solutions in Australia and Reach Media in New Zealand.

• Digital marketing and e-commerce

  Lasso

  Lasso was Salmat's digital catalogue and shopping website. It extended the company's traditional retail-catalogue proposition into an online aggregation channel, allowing consumers to discover catalogue content and shopping offers digitally. The service received recognition at the 2013 Online Retail Industry Awards.

• Contact-centre technology

  VeCommerce, VeConnect and VeSecure

  These telephony and contact-centre products supported customer-service operations, commerce interactions and secure communications. Their use in New Zealand's Work and Income contact-centre environment was recognised by a 2009 Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand award.

• Customer experience

  Contact Centre services

  Salmat operated contact-centre services for commercial and public-sector clients, handling customer interaction and support at scale. The business became a significant part of Salmat's diversification beyond catalogue distribution before being sold to Probe Group in 2018.

• Business-process outsourcing

  MicroSourcing

  MicroSourcing provided managed-services and outsourced-process capabilities within Salmat's broader business-services portfolio. Salmat sold the business to Probe BPO Holdings in December 2019 as part of the group's final restructuring and divestment program.

• 2016

  Premature disclosure of VCE scores

  Salmat inadvertently sent more than 2,000 Victorian Certificate of Education scores to students five days before the scheduled release date, creating a data-handling and administration controversy.

  Source

• Worker classification and privacy criticism

  Salmat was criticised over the classification of some workers as independent contractors, with reports alleging that certain workers received substantially less than minimum-wage-equivalent pay. The company was also criticised over the collection of location and other worker data, which critics considered excessive or intrusive.

  Source

Read more

• 2020

  Wind up the companyOther

  Background

  All operational divisions had been sold, leaving the corporate entity to be closed.

  Action taken

  Members resolved at a general meeting on 28 August 2020 to wind up Salmat and appoint liquidators.

  Aftermath

  Salmat ceased to exist as an operating company and entered liquidation.

  Source

• 2019

  Sell the remaining operating businessesM&A

  Background

  Salmat's restructuring had progressed to the disposal of its principal operating divisions.

  Action taken

  IVE Group acquired Salmat Marketing Solutions and Reach Media New Zealand, while Probe BPO Holdings acquired MicroSourcing.

  Aftermath

  After the transactions, Salmat no longer had operating divisions and proceeded toward liquidation in 2020.

  Source

• 2018

  Divest the Contact Centre businessM&A

  Background

  Salmat was reducing the scope of its operating portfolio.

  Action taken

  The Contact Centre business was sold to Probe Group.

  Aftermath

  The disposal left Salmat with fewer operating activities and preceded the sale of its remaining major divisions.

  Source

• 2012

  Refocus on omnichannel communicationsStrategy

  Background

  Salmat reassessed its portfolio after years of acquisition-led expansion and the changing relationship between physical and digital marketing.

  Action taken

  It sold its business-process-outsourcing operation to Fuji Xerox and shifted strategic emphasis from multichannel services toward an omnichannel model.

  Aftermath

  The company continued operating across physical marketing, digital services and customer contact before later disposing of its divisions.

  Source

• 2002

  List on the Australian Securities ExchangeStrategy

  Background

  Salmat sought capital to support expansion beyond its original catalogue-distribution activity.

  Action taken

  The company completed its ASX listing on 2 December 2002.

  Aftermath

  The listing supported a sequence of acquisitions in contact centres, printing, digital commerce and promotional distribution.

  Source

• 1984

  Accept a minority investment from News LimitedM&A

  Background

  Salmat was expanding its catalogue-distribution business and attracted competing interest from major newspaper publishers.

  Action taken

  News Limited acquired a 49 percent stake, later bought back by the founders in 1998.

  Aftermath

  The transaction provided outside capital while the eventual buyback returned control to the founders.

  Source

1. 1Salmaten.wikipedia.org