News Pakistan

Avnet strengthens down under
2010-09-02
Australia : American multispecialist Avnet has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of VAD itX Group Limited (itX), in an all cash merger valued at €52.5m. The acquisition is subject to the approval of itX's shareholders, Australian court approval and other customary conditions for a transaction of this type. itX distributes software, hardware and services from the world's leading suppliers including Oracle, IBM, HP, VMware, Apple, Citrix, Red Hat, and Trend Micro. In addition, itX includes Briell Marketing, a distributor of specialized printers and media for personal identification and security cards, medical and photographic imaging; Sydmed, a distributor of medical devices; and ICO, which provides IT hosting solutions. With approximately 150 employees, itX has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide. For fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, itX generated revenue of approximately €100m.

Rebranded SDG plans acquisitions
2010-08-27
United Kingdom : value-added broadliner SCH has united its distribution brands (ETC, Interchange, Interface Solutions and IQ Sys) under the SDG banner, in a move it claims will allow it to retain its specialist edge following its acquisition spree. SDG head Paul Eccleston also said the distributor, in order to keep a chance to survive on the long term, given the grip the major American distributors (Ingram, Tech Data, Avnet and Arrow) exert in Europe (source : Computer Reseller News United Kingdom).

IDS closes its doors
2010-08-20
Luxembourg-based IDS Distribution, which had offices in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands and covered the whole EMEA region, has silently closed its doors. THe company reached in a few years a high turnover (around €200m) before getting bankrupt. There is currently no official sign anywhere of any fraudulent bankruptcy.

Europarts distributes Printronix and Tally Genicom
2010-08-20
French spareparts specialist Europarts has inked a partnership with Printronix. It is now authorized to distribute Printronix and Tally Genicom spareparts and print supplies in whole EMEA region through its offices in Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

Actebis to acquire Also
2010-08-13
Broadliner Actebis has announced plans to merge with its competitor Also. Actebis is present in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden and the Netherlands, while Also is present in Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Switzerland. Thus, both companies complete themselves quite well, except in Germany and Norway where they are both present. This acquisition, if successful, will bring Actebis-Also to true number three on EMEA distribution, and a leader in all the countries where it is present (except France where it is a strong number 3 and Sweden where it remains number 2, because of Also leaving this market a few months ago), with a global turnover of about €7b. The goal for Actebis-Also is to reach and overtake both American leaders in EMEA region, Ingram Micro and Tech Data, Ingram Micro being just a handful million euros ahead. A good way to grow more would be to find another partner in southern Europe, like former EWG member Esprinet, which is currently strong in Italy and Spain. This merger of equals would result in Droege (Actebis owner) holding majority of shares, while Schindler (Also owner) holding a minority. The new entity should trade initialy under Also name, although this could be changed later to Also/Actebis.