Ingram Micro reveals increase in turnover
Broadliner posts eight per cent increase in global turnover for first quarter of 2006
Ingram Micro’s SME focus is paying dividends after the broadliner posted an eight per cent increase in global turnover for its first quarter of 2006.
The distributor’s European turnover for the quarter ended 1 April, rose to $2.7bn, compared with $2.65bn during the same period last year, and represented 36 per cent of total turnover. Overall turnover increased to $7.6bn for the quarter. However, European profit dropped by $2.5m to $34.5m during Q1, compared with the same period last year.
Speaking to CRN, Hans Koppen, president of Ingram Micro Europe, said: “We recorded better than expected growth as a whole, but the dollar has had a negative impact.
“The UK and Italy grew at a very high rate, and the SME sector, our core sector, performed very strongly in those regions,” he said. “Mobility is becoming very important and smartphones are also showing tremendous growth for us.”
Koppen added that Ingram is enabling VARs to get products delivered on time through efficiency increases. “We are also considering increasing services provision for our VARs in the near future,” he said.
For its Q2, ending 1 July 2006, the distributor has predicted that its global turnover will fall to between $7.15bn and $7.35bn, with profit ranging from $49m to $56m.
Shaune Parsons, managing director of Computer World Wales, said Ingram was currently the leading distributor in the space.
“We use Ingram every day and its e-commerce site allows us to buy products from it 24 hours a day,” he said. “Its results fall in line with this because the easier Ingram makes it for VARs to do business with it, the more likely VARs will be to spend with it.”