WIS International

What WIS International does

WIS International is a privately held global provider of physical inventory counting and retail solutions, founded in 1953 as Washington Inventory Services and headquartered in Plano, Texas with a Canadian headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. The company employs over 20,000 associates across more than 200 offices worldwide and serves approximately 3,500 clients, including Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, Kroger, Lowe's, CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons, Macy's, and Dollar General. Following its 2021 acquisition of RGIS U.S. & Canada, WIS became the world's largest inventory services provider, with a portfolio that spans full-service physical inventory counting, hybrid/supported inventory, self-service counting (FlexCount), retail chain-wide resets and remodels, store setups and closures, space mapping, and dealer-specific inventory services through its Dealer Solutions subsidiary.

The company operates on a professional-services revenue model, charging enterprise clients on a quote-based, project-by-project basis for inventory counts and retail execution work, with the newer FlexCount platform introducing a subscription/recurring revenue layer. Its proprietary technology stack includes the WISard handheld counting device (developed in 1999), integrated RFID technology (since 2000), tablet applications, and cloud-based reporting systems, all delivered under SSAE 16 audited security and process controls. International expansion outside the U.S. and Canada is executed through channel partnerships with AccuratS (Latin America), Fairson (Western Europe), and Acrebis (Asia Pacific) rather than owned infrastructure.

In 2024, WIS divested its CROSSMARK sales agency and Product Connections marketing solutions units to the Acosta Group, sharpening strategic focus on core inventory services and the FlexCount platform. The company is led by CEO Jim Rose with a C-suite comprising Richard Baxter (CFO), Waseem Bawa (COO), Bill McDonald (CIO), Chris Ponder (CHRO), Steve Smith (EVP, Account Management), Dan Colvard (EVP, Sales Enablement), and Tom Miller (General Counsel). Vertical segmentation spans retail (primary), healthcare, manufacturing/warehouse, and automotive dealerships.

Name

WIS International

Legal name

WIS International

Website

https://wisintl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

WIS International is a privately held, Plano, Texas-based provider of physical inventory counting and retail solutions serving 3,500+ enterprise clients across retail, healthcare, warehouse, and automotive verticals with 20,000+ associates in 200+ offices worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Inventory Counting Services: Physical inventory counting services for retail, healthcare, manufacturing, warehouses and specialty sectors. Services provided on a per-project or contracted basis.
2. Retail Solutions Services: Retail solutions including chain-wide resets, remodels, new store setups, store closings, and space mapping services.
3. Dealer Solutions: Tailored inventory services for automotive dealerships through subsidiary Dealer Solutions Inc.
4. FlexCount Self-Service Platform: Self-service inventory counting platform where customers use WIS technology and methodology to conduct their own counts.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WIS International provides technology-driven physical inventory counting services for retail, healthcare, manufacturing, warehousing, and automotive dealerships. The company deploys trained associates using proprietary WISard handheld devices and RFID technology to perform full-service, hybrid, and self-service inventory counts for over 3,500 enterprise clients globally. Complementary retail solutions cover chain-wide resets, remodels, new store setups, store closings, and space mapping services, with specialized automotive dealership inventory through its Dealer Solutions subsidiary.

Product overview

WIS International offers a portfolio of inventory management and retail solutions as a services company. The core offerings include Inventory Solutions (full physical inventory counting for retail, healthcare, manufacturing, warehouses, and specialty sectors), Retail Solutions (chain-wide resets, remodels, new store setups, and closures), and Dealer Solutions (tailored inventory services for automotive dealerships). The company also provides self-service inventory counting through FlexCount, along with merchandising services and space mapping services. WIS operates globally with proprietary handheld devices (WISard) and RFID technology, serving over 3,500 clients worldwide through a network of 200+ offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FlexCount: A self-service inventory counting platform launched in 2024, allowing customers to streamline operations and conduct inventory counts independently.
• Dealer Solutions

Products and services

• Inventory Solutions Comprehensive physical inventory counting services for retail, healthcare, manufacturing, warehouses, and specialty sectors, designed to achieve accuracy, efficiency, and better decision-making. Delivered to enterprise customers by trained associates using proprietary handheld devices and RFID technology.
• Retail Solutions Retail solutions providing a clear view of store space with tools to manage chain-wide resets, remodels, new store setups, and closures for retail chains.
• Dealer Solutions Tailored inventory services designed specifically for automotive dealerships, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and smooth operations for parts departments and beyond.
• FlexCount Self-Service Inventory Platform Self-service inventory counting platform launched in 2024, allowing customers to conduct their own inventory counts with WIS methodology and tools, with enhanced capabilities to streamline operations.
• Store Setups & Remodels Services for new store setups, remodels, and store closings delivered across retail chain-wide operations.
• Space Mapping Services Space mapping services for retail optimization, enabling retailers to analyze and optimize store floor space.

Quantifiable outcome

• Help businesses achieve greater efficiency and accuracy with their inventory, which positions them to increase profitability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• AccuratScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic partnership for Latin America expansion, enabling WIS to deliver inventory services to clients across the region through localized expertise and presence.
• FairsoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic partnership for Europe expansion, specifically Western Europe, allowing WIS to provide inventory services to clients operating in European markets.
• AcrebiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic partnership for Asia Pacific expansion, enabling WIS to serve clients across the Asia Pacific region through regional partnership.
• RGIS U.S. & CanadaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Acquired in 2021, making WIS International the World's Largest Inventory services provider through combination of the two industry leaders.
• Dealer Solutions Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Acquired in 2018 to provide specialized inventory services for automotive dealerships, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and smooth operations for parts departments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Acosta Group: Sales, marketing, and retail services provider that acquired WIS's CROSSMARK and Product Connections businesses in 2024. Now competes for adjacent retail services wallet share with WIS and serves many of the same large enterprise retailers in North America.
• RGIS: RGIS is the most direct global competitor in physical inventory counting services. WIS acquired their U.S. & Canada operations in 2021, but RGIS continues to operate internationally (particularly in Europe), competing head-to-head with WIS for multinational retailer accounts in those geographies.
• Orridge: UK-based inventory counting and stocktaking services provider serving retail and warehouse customers across the UK and Europe. A direct peer in the same professional services niche in geographies where WIS now partners with Fairson for delivery.

Broad incumbents

• SGS: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) firm that operates across supply chains with adjacent inventory-related inspection and verification services. A broad incumbent with much wider service portfolio than WIS, but overlaps in supply chain verification categories.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC firm providing inspection and verification services across commodities and supply chains. Competes in adjacent verification and audit categories and serves many of the same multinational enterprise customers, but does not specialize in retail inventory counting.
• Intertek: Global TIC and quality assurance provider with supply chain inspection and product verification offerings. An adjacent competitor in supply chain-related services, but with a much broader portfolio and not specialized in retail physical inventory counting.

Emerging players

• Simbe Robotics: Provider of Tally, an autonomous in-store inventory scanning robot that captures shelf inventory continuously using computer vision. An emerging tech-enabled competitor that could disrupt portions of WIS's manual counting value proposition for retail customers.
• Scandit: Provider of mobile barcode scanning and computer vision software for retail and logistics. Targets enterprise customers with mobile-scanning workflows that compete with parts of WIS's manual counting methodology, though Scandit sells software rather than services.

Others

• Zebra Technologies: Leading provider of mobile computing, RFID, and barcode scanning hardware used in retail and warehouse inventory operations. A technology vendor to WIS and similar firms rather than a direct competitor, but increasingly relevant as customers evaluate in-house scanning alternatives.
• Sensitech (Carrier): Provider of temperature and supply chain visibility solutions including cold-chain monitoring and real-time location tracking. An adjacent data-collection and supply chain visibility provider that competes for similar wallet share around inventory visibility, especially in healthcare and life sciences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WISIntlCareer
• Facebookfacebook.com/WISInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wis-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WIS International