Almost 300 of SAS Institute's European staff are to be disbanded this quarter, as the business intelligence and analytics company closes its EMEA HQ.

SAS expects to complete the closure of its Europe, Middle East and Africa head quarters in Heidelberg, Germany, by March.

Responsibilities are to be devolved to SAS's regional operations, with some support operations transferring to SAS's global HQ in Cary, North Carolina.

In a measure of the changes, SAS's Italy general manager Alex Zeigner has assumed responsibility as vice president of SAS's southern European region. Some 266 staff have been given the opportunity to apply for positions throughout SAS.

SAS says its EMEA HQ is a relic of a bygone age that had to close as the company changes its structure to sell "global, enterprise-wide solutions". The EMEA HQ was established to co-ordinate the operations of country offices.

Europe accounts for 37 per cent of privately-held SAS's revenues.®

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