Google has acquired a tech start-up that helps local retailers share product inventory online to help consumers discover smaller, local stores on a much bigger scale.

In a deal reportedly worth €147m (£125m) the Irish start-up Pointy allows retailers in the USA and Ireland to show stock inventory in their stores in real-time.

Retailers that use Pointy can plug in a small device to their barcode scanner or install the app on their point of sale system, which keeps online shoppers up to date with the ‘what’s in store’ section of a retailer’s business profile on Google Search.

Pointy founders Mark Cummins and Charles Bibby said: “Over the past several years, we’ve developed a very close partnership with Google. It became clear that we shared the same vision of how technology can improve local retail businesses.

“By joining forces, we will be able to help people discover local stores and products on a much larger scale. We think this is the right way to accomplish what we set out to do – to bring the world’s retailers online and give them the tools they need to thrive.”