<PAGE> 1
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of August 3, 1999
MERANT plc
(Translation of Registrant's Name Into English)
The Lawn, Old Bath Road, Newbury, England RG14 1QN
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file
annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.)
Form 20-F X Form 40-F _____
-------
(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.)
Yes X No _____
-------
(If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the
registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2 (b): 82-795.)
<PAGE> 2
Editorial Contacts:
Colleen Duffy Brickley
MERANT
(301) 838-5229
[email protected]
Investor Relations Contacts:
Larry Death
MERANT
(301) 838-5228
[email protected]
MERANT Completes Acquisition of The Marathon Group
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and NEWBURY, England - August 3, 1999 - MERANT (NASDAQ:
MRNT; London Stock Exchange: MRN), a worldwide leader in enterprise application
development, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of
privately-held The Marathon Group, a premier Internet professional services firm
based in Raleigh, North Carolina. MERANT initially announced on July 20, 1999
its intention to acquire The Marathon Group.
About MERANT
Founded in 1976, MERANT is a leader in Enterprise Application Development,
providing the products, people and processes to accelerate the customer's
business through the application of innovative information technology. MERANT
empowers organizations to transform their enterprise applications for the
changing technology and business requirements of the e-business environment,
manage the application development process, and provide integrated data
connectivity across the enterprise, from the mainframe to the Internet. A global
organization with nearly $400 million in annual revenues and more than 2,000
employees, MERANT has 500 technology partners and more than 5 million licenses
at over 35,000 customer sites - including the entire Fortune 100 and the
majority of the Global 500. For additional information on MERANT and its
solutions, visit the MERANT Web site at http://www.merant.com.
MERANT is a trademark of MERANT International Limited. Marathon Group is a
trademark of Essential Software, Inc. All other trademarks as they appear in
this release are the property of their respective owners.
<PAGE> 3
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
MERANT plc
(Registrant)
Date: August 3, 1999 By: /s/ Kenneth A. Sexton
---------------------------------------
Kenneth Sexton
Chief Financial Officer
