BT has ended its strategic sales referral agreement with distributor Nimans in a move which both sides have claimed is “amicable”.

Phil Purssey, sales director indirect channels at BT Business, told CRN: “BT Partner Management and Nimans together reached an amicable decision last week that it is no longer mutually beneficial to hold a formal agreement for the distribution of BT Business products and services.”

However, Purssey added that Nimans’s contract with BT Business is “just one element of a long-standing relationship”. He said the firm will continue to supply selected BT products.

Nimans told CRN it is “looking forward to maintaining a strong working relationship” with the telco.

Nigel Raine, head of indirect sales at Nimans, said: “It was certainly not our wish that this agreement be ended. We are a little disappointed that the final consultation process we were promised did not occur. In an increasingly competitive marketplace it is imperative that we provide customers with a choice of suppliers.”

Raine added that Nimans will continue to work closely with BT.

“We have long enjoyed and will continue to enjoy a highly successful relationship with BT as a key distributor of its hardware,” he said.

ISP Griffin Internet is believed to have been signed up to replace Nimans, but the firm declined to comment as CRN went to press.

laura_hailstone@vnu.co.uk