Following its purchase last fall of Bigfoot Interactive, the Epsilon marketing division of Alliance Data Systems Corp. plans to continue increasing its presence in the e-mail services market for retailers by acquiring DoubleClick Email Solutions from DoubleClick Inc., Alliance Data Systems said today.

DoubleClick Email Solutions brings to Epsilon a broader presence in international markets and retailer clients including J. Crew, Buy.com and Patagonia. When the deal closes as expected this quarter, DoubleClick Email Solutions will join the former Bigfoot Interactive as a part of Epsilon Interactive, Epsilon’s e-mail services division.

Annual revenue at DoubleClick Email Solutions is slightly above $40 million and growing at a double-digit rate, Alliance Data said in announcing the planned acquisition.

For DoubleClick Inc., the sale of its e-mail services unit marks a move toward a higher concentration on search engine marketing and other forms of online advertising. DoubleClick acquired search engine marketing firm Performics in 2004 and it plans to soon introduce DART Search, a web-based tool for managing search engine marketing campaigns.

DoubleClick is not commenting on how it plans to use the proceeds of the sale of its e-mail unit, a spokesman says.