Security distributor Arc Technology insists its acquisition by a larger pan-European outfit will not blunt its cutting edge.

As revealed by CRN, the Chesterfield-based distributor has sold a 60 per cent stake to Paris-based Exclusive Networks.

Arc focuses on just six vendors, including McAfee and Kaspersky and boasts a turnover of £15m.

Managing director Stuart Reay, who is among eight staff to retain a 40 per cent stake in the firm, said: “While we are now part of a 80m (£68m) group, Exclusive gives local management a lot of autonomy so we can maintain our VAD ethos while having a group behind us.

“It will help us increase our credit limits and increase business with some of our bigger vendors.”

Since taking on €3m in private equity investment in 2007, Exclusive has expanded from France into nine other European territories. The distributor is planning a second round of funding next year.

Olivier Breittmayer, chief executive of Exclusive, said: “Two years ago, we started to build a European distributor and clearly the UK is important to our strategy. We focus on new technologies and the UK is usually the first country new vendors come to.”

Exclusive recently launched a storage division in France and Breittmayer said he plans to export the model into all other territories.

Grahame Smee, managing director of rival distributor Cohort Technology, said: “Exclusive is keen to gain a proper foothold in the UK but you have to spend a lot of time and effort to make a success of it.”