News

Tech Data gets finances for its resellers from IBM Global Financing
2012-05-07
Portugal : IBM Global Financing has partnered with broadliner Tech Data to offer a range of financing solutions to resellers. This partnership covers hardware, software and services on whatever brands sold by the distributor. This financing allows resellers to keep their full line of credit with Tech Data for other projects.

Computer 2000 adopts TDTriade name for Consumer BU
2012-05-01
United Kingdom : broadliner Computer 2000 has adopted the TDTriade name for its consumer electronics division in the country. The new business unit encompasses both the current retail sales organisation and the recently-formed consumer electronics business unit of Computer 2000. Together these businesses already generate in excess of €290m of sales per annum in the country on unlisted brands in the official press release. It is anticipated that they will grow significantly as the Triade division extends the existing relationships that Computer 2000 has with key technology vendors and takes more innovative digital solutions to the consumer market.

Jo-Anne Foreman, director of Triade for the UK and Ireland, said: "by formally adopting the Triade name, we are making a clear statement of our intention to grow and develop our consumer electronics business. We already have a very strong presence in the retail sector and within the group we already have relationships with most of the top CE brands, so there is tremendous scope to extend the range of products that Triade takes to market." In the future, as well as a wide range of well-established computing products, TDTriade will offer a full range of CE products, not only to the retail channel, but also to SMB, vertical and corporate channels.

The TDTriade name will be gradually adopted across Europe by Tech Data for its consumer electronics businesses. This follows the acquisition by Tech Data of Triade Holding, a privately-held value added distributor of consumer electronics in the Benelux and Denmark, which operates companies like MCC (in Belgium and the Netherlands), Rosenmeier in Denmark (now merged into the local office of Tech Data), Hakro-Oosterberg-Nijkerk and Quote Components in the Netherlands.

Tech Data changes its European organisation
2012-02-06
Tech Data Europe has unveiled changes to its European organisation which will enable it to optimise its efficiency whilst enhancing the support for its country operations. As a result of its acquisition strategy in Europe and the diversification of its distribution business, a new European Executive Board (EEB) has been formed to represent the company's technology areas and country and business operations. The EEB will drive the strategic direction of the company's European operations and ensure it takes advantage of the growth opportunities that exist in both its traditional IT business, its specialist divisions and its services. In addition, to provide greater focus and consistency in execution, the European country operations have been divided between two Regional Senior Vice Presidents. One will be led by Andy Gass who will be responsible for the following country operations: Belgium & Luxembourg, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The other will be led by Jonas Elmgren who will have responsibility for Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. Both Regional Senior Vice Presidents will report into Néstor Cano, President, Europe. "The formation of an EEB and two regional operations will enable the company to be even more efficient and agile in its decision making at a strategic level, while allowing us to benefit from the strength and experience of country managers in their own markets," said Néstor Cano, President, Europe. "These changes are consistent with our major business goals and provide our country operations with the opportunity to take full advantage of the technology areas in which we operate, utilising our existing pan-European infrastructure and resources, whilst they focus on excellence in execution in sales and marketing to develop and grow our business."

The EEB members are:

• Néstor Cano, President, Europe
• Alain Amsellem, Senior Vice President, Finance & Business Operations
• Andy Gass, Regional Senior Vice President
• Henk Makaske, Senior Vice President, Triade (Consumer Electronics)
• Jonas Elmgren, Regional Senior Vice President
• Nimesh Davé, Senior Vice President Broadline & Processes
• Rod Millar, President Brightstar Tech Data (Mobility)
• Simon England, Senior Vice President, Value Added Business, responsible for Azlan (Enterprise), Datech (Design Software) and Maverick (Professional Audio Visual)
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Tech Data leaves Brasil
2011-12-19
Broadliner Tech Data has decided to close its Brasilian subsidiary. The closure is due to Brazil’s complex tax, legal and regulatory environments, which make it difficult for the distributor to generate a sufficient return on invested capital. The American broadliner will continue to do business with Brazilian resellers, but will handle those transactions as export business, through its Miami-based facilities. The closure will cost Tech Data between €15m and €18m in fourth quarter operating income, between €5.5m and €7m in foreign currency exchange losses and between €5.5m and €7m in taxes, after tax-deferred assets in Brazil are written off. Those numbers could push the company’s combined net losses on the closure up to €32m for the quarter.

Tech Data sues LCD panel makers over price-fixing
2011-11-28
Broadliner Tech Data is suing several LCD panel makers, alleging that they formed an international cartel to fix prices over at least a decade. The distributor claims from the start of 1996 to the end of 2006 the manufacturers conspired to "fix, raise, stabilise and maintain prices" in a lawsuit filed with the federal court in Tampa, Florida. The filing claims the panel makers (including Samsung Electronics, LG Display, Sanyo and Sharp) met and communicated to "agree to eliminate competition and fix the prices of LCD panels and LCD products" that were to be sold in the US. The conspiracy extended to the manufacturers own corporate subsidiaries and affiliates, as well as co-conspirators to "prevent price discrepancies" among the cartel members. This stymied normal downward pressures on price during periods of oversupply or technological change leading to "unusually long periods of high prices and profits", Tech Data stated in the filing. "As a result of the conspirators' unlawful conduct, plaintiffs paid higher prices for LCD products than they would have paid in a competitive market," it added. Tech Data said that during the decade it "suffered damages" due to the conspiracy and is seeking to "recover the overcharges paid". Presumably the distributor will not be passing on any proceeds – should it win the case – to reseller customers that bought TVs, desktop monitors, notebooks or mobile wireless handsets containing the LCD makers' panels during the cartel's activities (source : Channel Register).