Components distributor Arrow Microtronica has informed all its UK system builder partners that they will now have to buy through e-tailor Scan Computers, marking the final phase of its pan-European centralisation drive.

The distributor centralised more of its functions to continental Europe in October, announcing that its UK operation will be led out of the firm’s Frankfurt office.

Mark Warren, general sales manager at Microtronica, said: “It has taken Microtronica 10 or 11 months to get where it needed to be. Now it can look at moving forward and taking market share.”

Warren claimed system builders will benefit from receiving orders from a UK-based firm, instead of having to pay for it to be shipped from abroad.

“Scan will service the system builders and keep costs down, as small orders are sometimes not worth shipping into the UK.”
Ed Bateman, business unit manager at rival distributor Bell Micro, said: “Microtronica does not sound very supportive of its UK system builders. Bell also works with Scan, which will no doubt offer a good level of service. But it does make you wonder about the distributor’s commitment,” he said.

Steve Bland, sales manager at rival KMS Components, claimed he had not found Microtronica competitive for the last year, with many of its customers going over to KMS.

“It is all down to price nowadays. Microtronica was probably struggling to service the UK’s small businesses from Frankfurt,” he said.