Mazars cuts off reseller arm

The Great Plains reseller arm of accountancy firm Mazars Neville Russell has undergone a management buyout to focus on developing its ecommerce and customer relationship management business.

A team led by managing director Chris de Silva has taken ownership of Mazars Neville Russell Systems for an undisclosed sum, and the business has been absorbed into investment group Network and Desktop Consulting (NDC). The unit has been renamed Advantage Business Systems.

The company has claimed that the move will allow Advantage, an exclusive Great Plains reseller, to gain networking and desktop systems expertise, giving customers a single source for network and business systems.

De Silva said: "The growth potential of our business is significant but we needed funding to achieve it. Over the past year, we have seen an increasing demand for consulting and advisory skills in planning and installing complex networks. We felt that a strategic partnership with a networking and desktop systems specialist made business sense."

John Mellows, senior partner at Mazars Neville Russell, added: "Growth of the systems division has been excellent, but as it expands, it fits less comfortably within our business model. The operation is not considered to be within the core service provided by Mazars. It is best that it seeks funding and development from outside the partnership."

Ed Vorwerk, managing director of NDC, added: "We are very aware of massive demand among mid-market companies for the combination of reliable, expert applications and implementation consultancy, coupled with proven software technologies."