Tiny denies Dixons takeover talks

Tiny, the UK's largest PC manufacturer, has firmly denied rumours that it has been involved in takeover talks with retail giant Dixons.

Despite industry rumours to the contrary, a representative said business is "healthy" and that Tiny is "definitely not being bought by Dixons".

The company also declined to comment on reports that it has appointed a new managing director and lost its sales director and three regional sales staff. "We do not comment on personnel issues," the representative said.

Research by industry analyst Dataquest earlier this year revealed that Tiny was among the top three UK PC suppliers, overtaking Packard Bell in shipments. It shipped 136,931 systems in the first quarter of 2000, against Packard Bell's 96,620, to take third place in the top 10.

Dataquest also released figures showing that Tiny had gained 10th position in a report of the top 10 European PC suppliers.

Although rivals such as Compaq, IBM and Fujitsu Siemens saw turnover drop throughout the first quarter of 2000 compared with the same period last year, Tiny has increased its European market share from 1.2 per cent to 1.8 per cent, and has 45 stores in the US which it claimed are "doing well". Tiny's annual results are due to be published next month.

One analyst claimed that Tiny would be a good purchase for Dixons because it has its own computer brand and has "a lot of scope" on the business side, especially in the SME market. "It would allow the company to tie in services and maintenance with its existing business," the analyst said.

But Dixons also played down the rumours. "We do not comment on market speculation," a representative said.

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