Datalogic Acquires Evolution Robotics Retail

SN STAFF

BOLOGNA, Italy — Datalogic S.p.A. here has acquired Evolution Robotics Retail, Pasadena, Calif., a loss prevention company, for $25.5 million.

Evolution Robotics Retail's LaneHawk system, which addresses bottom-of-the-basket theft with visual pattern recognition (ViPR) technology, is installed in more than 1,000 U.S. stores in just under 10,000 lanes, with another 2,500 stores under contract to install it, the company said. Retailers that have acknowledged using LaneHawk include Giant Eagle, A&P (in its Pathmark division), Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, ShopRite and Haug Enterprises (a Supervalu franchise operator).

The agreement was signed on July 1 with Future Vision Holdings and Idealab, controlling companies of Evolution Robotics Retail.

Datalogic is a producer of bar code readers, data collection mobile computers, barcode, RFID and vision systems for the industrial automation sector.

The entire management and technical team of Evolution Robotics Retail will remain with the company and continue to serve the retail sector while also working with Datalogic to promote its visual pattern recognition technology in other commercial and industrial arenas. Several follow-on products utilizing ViPR technology and focused on loss-prevention and productivity applications--including LaneHawk InCart, ShelfHawk and TunnelHawk--are currently in pilot stage with major U.S. retailers.

"We were looking for a strong company with which to align and we could not be more pleased with Datalogic as our partner and parent company," said Alec Hudnut, Evolution Robotics Retail's chief executive officer, in a statement. "We fully expect that Datalogic's strong position in the retail sector, its expansive distribution network and global reach and its access to other industrial-based applications will allow us to propel our company further and faster than we could otherwise do on our own."