OCS best distributor in Russia
Russia : our colleagues from Astera have unveiled their new Best Distributor rating for 2008. According to their press release, last quarter was really tough for most company, some having met even sales decrease up to 50% compared to last year. The five best companies, according to interviewed resellers, were Lanck, Fan, Lanit, AK-Cent and OCS, the latest being the winner, for the fifth time in a row. To be even better, Russian distributors should start to be more transparent, and communicate more clearly about their turnover. One must also remember that this good third place will be the last for Lanit, as the company has dropped its distribution activity earlier this year (source : Astera Rossiya).
AB signs with Targus
Poland : broadliner AB SA has expanded its offer with Targus mobility products (source : Computer Reseller News Polska).
Mem-Up goes to 2-tier
Being present for several years on Spanish and Portuguese IT markets through local subsidiaries, French external storage specialist Mem-Up has decided to change its local operational system. The company until now was working directly with local retailers and e-commerce sites. It has decided to to seek the services of distributors. Interviewed during Distree XXL, Mem-Up has unveiled two recently signed distribution partnerships with Iberian distributors : Telcom in Spain and JP Sá Couto in Portugal. The goals on these two markets are however different. In Spain, the goal is to be more responsive towards local distribution. In Portugal, where Mem-Up is a local leader on multimedia hard drives and third in external storage market, the company aims to further consolidating its position: ‘JP Sa Couto is well positioned both on retail and professional markets. It is therefore a perfect choice to push our new SMB range’, told us Pierre Girard, Mem-Up marketing and communication director.
Terach gets business-critical with Giritech
Benelux : network and security VAD Terach has been chosen by security vendor Giritech to distribute its G/On all-in-one solution for access to business-critical resources (source : Computer Reseller News Nederland).
Neta prints with Canon
Russia : regional broadliner Neta has added budget printers and multifunctions from Canon to its linecard and will distribute them through its retailer network in Siberia.
HP drops Avnet from Lefthand channel
United Kingdom : Hewlett-Packard has dropped Avnet Technology Solutions from Lefthand Networks distribution channel but it appears that CMS Peripherals will be spared the axe and given the opportunity to recruit and train more reseller partners. Through last October’s acquisition of the storage virtualisation and iSCSI SAN vendor, HP inherited Avnet and CMS to sit alongside existing StorageWorks partners CCD, ETC, DNS Arrow, Bell, Westcoast and C2000. The integration into the StorageWorks division will complete on 1 May, at which point Avnet’s contract will be terminated (source : Microscope United Kingdom).
Comztek adds six African countries to Microsoft distribution net
South Africa : Microsoft has awarded Comztek the rights to distribute OEM products into a host of additional African countries, including Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
Almasa and Delta confirm tie-up
Middle East : Dubai-based IT distributors Almasa and Delta Business Products are shortly expected to provide details of an agreement that will see the pair work together in the market. The precise nature of the partnership remains unclear at this stage. It has been suggested in the market that Almasa could be planning a takeover of Delta in an effort to strengthen its coverage of the retail channel — a particular stronghold for Delta in the Gulf. However, if Delta is unwilling to concede ownership of its business then it is likely that the agreement will encompass some form of back-office sharing (source : ITP Middle East).
Two new distributors for SteelSeries
Germany : mice and accessories vendor SteelSeries has expanded its distribution network in the country with two new distributors, Jet Computers and Caseking.
Otika protects desktops with TriGeo
France : network and security VAD Otika has expanded its offer with TriGeo Network Security, a pioneer in security information and event management solutions.
