Press Announcement: The gold standard in jewellery retail

August 2, 2022

London | 02 August 2022 – ClearCourse, a leading group of innovative technology brands providing software solutions and an integrated payments platform, today announces a deal to acquire Pursuit Software, an established provider of jewellery management and point-of-sale (POS) software. The acquisition sees the Company join ClearCourse’s Retail division. 


Founded in 2008 and based in Norwich, Pursuit Software provides bespoke software solutions for high-end, multi-store jewellery businesses, including London-based Fraser Hart and Edinburgh’s Hamilton & Inches. The company’s services include stock management platforms, POS integration, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and repairs and manufacturing functions — all of which help jewellery brands efficiently manage their stock and customer transactions. In addition, Pursuit Software offers a payment function, a click-and-collect service and website development and integration. Its software connects to existing instore and online sales systems, creating interoperable stock management across platforms that are tailored to customers all over the UK and Ireland.

This is the first jewellery software business that ClearCourse has acquired, broadening the range of sectors served by the group’s Retail division and taking its overall customer base to over 20,000. Pursuit Software also becomes ClearCourse’s most easterly business within East Anglia, presenting new opportunities to tap into an active local economy and a strong pool of entrepreneurial talent – both of which have benefitted from substantial regional investment that has nearly doubled in recent years.


Following the acquisition, Pursuit Software will harness ClearCourse’s significant investment to transition into its next growth stage, offering up its back- and front-office solutions to bigger businesses. New and existing customers will benefit from the company’s integration with ClearCourse’s spectrum of software businesses and proprietary payments platform, ClearAccept, which is designed to allow individual businesses to tailor their users’ payment experience while easing the burden of security and compliance. 


The company’s Managing Director, Mike Burns, will continue to lead Pursuit Software on a full-time basis.

Gerry Gualtieri, CEO of ClearCourse, said: “We are very pleased that Pursuit Software will be joining ClearCourse at what continues to be a challenging and crucial time for the UK high street and its independent brands. As we welcome another great team and thriving customer base, we look forward to an expansion with two exciting elements: investing further in the vibrant East of England, an area with serious potential, and the opportunity to penetrate the jewellery management software sector: an industry with a projected value of £3.3bn this year and clear synergies across point-of-sale and payments software.”

 

Mike Burns, Managing Director of Pursuit Software, said: “The majority of today’s retail sectors benefit from the support of big, industry-specific software businesses and the fit-for-purpose solutions that these companies develop. Yet in the jewellery space – a powerful sector that handles large transactions and creates meaningful customer relationships – technological investment is critically lacking. Working with ClearCourse, our team looks forward to building out a new league of specialised providers in the retail software mid-market, with ambitions to grow as a company that top-tier businesses can trust.”


The financial terms of the deal are undisclosed. 

ClearCourse welcomes new Chief Financial Officer, Sacha Bielawski

By Justin Still • June 25, 2025
LONDON, 25 June 2025 : ClearCourse, a provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises, today announced the appointment of Sacha Bielawski as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Sacha will lead ClearCourse’s financial strategy, working with senior leaders to accelerate organic growth, drive profitable sales, and deliver the company’s goal of being a leading engine powering small and mid-sized businesses across the UK. Before joining ClearCourse, Sacha spent nearly nine years as Chief Financial Officer at Coople, a leading digital staffing agency, where he led corporate expansion initiatives and oversaw the Group’s financial strategy. He has also held senior roles within private equity and investment firms, where he focused on identifying and scaling high-potential businesses through strategic M&A, financial restructuring and investment projects across Europe and the US. Sacha builds on the achievements of Mark Grafton who will be leaving the company later this month. “We’re delighted to welcome Sacha Bielawski as ClearCourse’s new CFO at this exciting time in the company’s continued evolution” said Christina Hamilton, CEO. “His extensive expertise in scaling businesses, leading growth acceleration programmes and driving innovation and efficiency will be instrumental in delivering our next phase of growth.” “I am delighted to join ClearCourse at such a pivotal time in its journey,” Sacha Bielawski said . “I believe the company is well-positioned to capitalise on the convergence of software and payments, an accelerating trend that presents compelling organic growth opportunities over the coming years. “As ClearCourse continues to acquire software companies in high growth verticals, I look forward to leveraging my entrepreneurial experience to engage with business owners considering a partnership with ClearCourse and to support them post-acquisition to grow further within our platform. “ClearCourse is a business with significant potential, and I am excited to contribute to its next chapter of growth and long-term value creation.”

Software and Payments Specialist ClearCourse Acquires Leading Hospitality Software Provider, Rezcontrol by Avon Data Systems Ltd.

June 10, 2025
LONDON 10th June 2025 : ClearCourse, the provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises, announces the acquisition of Rezcontrol by Avon Data Systems Ltd., a leading property management systems (PMS) provider for the hospitality industry. Avon Data Systems Ltd. is one of the largest privately-owned UK technology partners in the property management systems industry, with clients ranging from big hotel groups such as Fuller’s Hotels and Inns to independent hotels across the UK. Founded in 1986, Avon Data Systems Ltd. launched its flagship product, Rezcontrol, in 2020, combining over 30 years’ experience in providing software for the hospitality sector with the latest technology to offer its customers a sophisticated and intuitive tool that’s adaptable to their changing needs. Today, Rezcontrol serves over 450 hotels across the UK, helping them to streamline operations, from guest communications and housekeeping to payments and distribution. Whether a full-service hotel or a pub with rooms, Rezcontrol can be tailored to a customers’ needs, and offers many additional integrations from table reservations and point-of-sale, to CRM and revenue management. A key differentiator for Avon Data Systems Ltd. is its commitment to providing white-glove, personalised support to its customers. Many of its colleagues have direct hotel and hospitality experience, enabling them to act as a collaborative, knowledgeable partner to hotels. This ensures that their customers not only gain a state-of-the-art PMS but also benefit from a knowledgeable team focused on helping them maximize Rezcontrol's potential for their businesses. Joining the ClearCourse group at this time will support Avon Data Systems Ltd.’s ambitious growth plans to become the go-to-solution in the market. The cross-selling opportunities with other leading products in ClearCourse’s portfolio, such as TISSL and Giftpro, will provide Rezcontrol customers with a one-stop-shop for PMS, POS, gifting, embedded payments and more. ClearCourse aims to become a leading engine powering small businesses in the UK by putting big tech solutions in the hands of founders and their growing businesses. This latest addition to the group marks an important step in line with this vision. Christina Hamilton, CEO of Clearcourse said : “It is fantastic to welcome Avon Data Systems into the ClearCourse group as part of our Retail & Hospitality Software division, which will further strengthen our offering in this high-growth sector. Avon Data Systems’ Rezcontrol is an innovative solution that puts cutting-edge software in the hands of growing businesses who need them most. We are excited by the natural integration points of Rezcontrol into our existing customer bases, strengthening the ClearCourse value proposition as an integrated and comprehensive solution set for our customers.” Sarah Cade, Managing Director of Avon Data Systems Ltd. said : “We’re really excited to be joining the ClearCourse group to supercharge our next stage of growth. For the past 30 years, we’ve been working with our customers to ensure we are providing them with the innovative solutions they need to run their businesses smoothly and efficiently. ClearCourse is the ideal strategic partner to continue building on our goal of becoming the go-to solution for hospitality businesses looking for reliable, integrated software and payment solutions.”