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Centric Takes Majority Stake in Twelve to Expand Retail Tech Footprint Across Europe
Dutch IT services firm Centric has acquired a controlling interest in Twelve, a fintech company best known for its point-of-sale (PoS) and order management systems tailored to hospitality and food service. The strategic acquisition aims to support Twelve’s expansion into European markets while enabling Centric to diversify its software portfolio beyond its traditional retail and logistics focus.
Founded 15 years ago, Twelve started by offering simplified digital payments for amateur sports clubs in the Netherlands. Since then, it has grown into a leading transaction processor in large-scale hospitality venues, handling hundreds of millions of payments annually across stadiums, events, and catering operations. Current clients range from local eateries to major venues such as the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam and large-scale events like SAIL Amsterdam.
From Local Success to European Ambitions
While the company already has a foothold in international venues such as Stade de France and San Siro, the acquisition by Centric—with the support of investment firm Spacetime—is intended to accelerate further market entry across key regions including Germany, France, Italy, and the UK.
Leadership continuity appears to be part of the expansion strategy: Twelve’s founder, Willem van Kralingen, will remain as CEO to oversee this next phase of growth. Maintaining operational independence is also central to the deal. According to the announcement, Twelve will retain its branding and organizational structure, with Centric operating more as a strategic partner than a direct operator.
Portfolio Diversification Amid Competitive Pressures
For Centric, the move complements its existing strengths in sectors like non-food retail and logistics. With the addition of Twelve, the company gains expertise in a more specialized and rapidly digitizing segment of retail—hospitality and food service—which increasingly relies on integrated PoS systems and real-time order management.
The European PoS and hospitality tech market has grown increasingly competitive, especially with the entry of cloud-native players and vertically integrated startups. Centric’s acquisition appears to be as much about reinforcing its product breadth as it is about geographic expansion.
By leveraging Twelve’s sector knowledge and established client base, Centric may aim to gain faster entry into fragmented regional markets where local relationships and domain-specific tools often determine success.
Structural Separation or Long-Term Integration?
While both firms emphasize independence and synergy, the extent to which this will remain true long-term remains to be seen. Market consolidation in the payments and PoS sector often leads to deeper integration over time, especially as backend infrastructures and data architectures are aligned for scale and efficiency.
Still, the decision to maintain Twelve’s autonomy may be a strategic hedge: allowing it to remain nimble while benefiting from Centric’s resources, particularly as it enters less familiar markets where local dynamics differ significantly from the Dutch ecosystem.
