'Our goal is to empower our clients through intelligent technology': Belfast software company secures £1.2m European deal as AI software gains traction across borders

Northern Ireland software company, Allsop has secured a new contract worth £1.2 million in Europe with a leading European food distributor.

The Belast company provides business software solutions which uses AI to improve efficiencies and productivity, digitally reducing business administration all leading to improved sales revenue.

The contract is the latest success for the company which developed its software with Research and Development support from Invest Northern Ireland.

Making the announcement, Ian Topping, director at Allsop, said: “Our goal is to empower our clients through intelligent technology that doesn’t just streamline operations - it transforms them. By applying cutting-edge solutions, we give our customers the tools they need to lead their markets with confidence. Invest NI supports our innovative drive leading to new sales in Great Britain and Europe via the commercialisation of our AI platform.

“We work closely with each client to understand their unique challenges, then apply intelligent, cutting-edge technology to deliver solutions that offer measurable market advantage. It’s about building smarter, more agile businesses. In this case we are providing a solution to integrate a dynamic pricing module into the distributor’s operations which will help them ensure its prices are competitive and respond efficiently to customer enquiries.”

Invest NI has worked with Allsop since 2014 providing support through a Grant for R&D to develop its core data management software and later to enhance its functionality.

Invest NI’s Graduate to Export Programme also helped the company hire a graduate who played a key role in conducting market research and identifying potential new customers.

Director of innovation, research and development at Invest NI, Dr Vicky Kell said “Investing in R&D helps companies to succeed by driving innovation, increasing productivity and developing cutting-edge technologies that open up new markets and customers. At Invest NI we are supporting businesses right across Northern Ireland to do this. Allsop is an excellent example of this in action.

“Through our R&D support Allsop has been able to develop its innovative AI mobile platform that works across sectors; allowing the company to expand its customer base outside of Northern Ireland. Congratulations to the entire team on this success and their global reach.”

Established in 1996 by Trevor Allsop, Allsop has helped hundreds of clients in the food, manufacturing and construction sectors to streamline their administrative tasks to achieve increased productivity and growth.

Elaine Curran, director of trade and investment at Invest NI, added: “Allsop has built upon its success to date in the European market with this new contract. This is a significant achievement for Allsop and demonstrates the quality of its software and commitment to exceptional customer service.

“Supporting more companies to sell their products and services outside of Northern Ireland is a strategic priority for Invest NI and we would encourage any business with an interest in expanding to new markets to seek out our help.”

Invest NI’s R&D support for this project was part funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs (2014-2020) Programme.