Dataway Novellists begin solus careers

Three managers from the ailing reseller have left to form a startup Novell specialist company

Staff at Newbury-based reseller Dataway Systems set up solus Novell dealership RPL last week, after the #4 million reseller went into receivership.

RPL was set up on Thursday by three managers from Dataway?s Novell business unit, two days after Dataway called in receiver Ernst & Young.

Business unit and sales manager John Carne, business development manager Barry Merchant and resource and project manager Richard Gilbert will head the Chippenham-based dealer, bringing six other Dataway Novell staff with them.

Dataway MD Edward Moore and chairman Robin Morgan are believed to be trying to salvage the company?s hardware maintenance business unit as a separate firm.

Administrative receiver Alan Lovett of Ernst & Young in Reading said he expected to have a statement of affairs and a list of creditors within three weeks. ?The priority is to finish off the outstanding contracts and get the money in to pay creditors,? he said.

Carne said Dataway?s problems began when its Lotus and Microsoft divisions did not perform as expected. ?The Novell business was responsible for about 70 per cent of turnover. It could have grown three times as fast as it did last year, but it was held back by supporting Microsoft and Lotus.?

Andrew Sadler-Smith, sales director at Novell UK, said: ?It?s good that RPL has been set up because it is important that customers continue to be serviced and that business relationships are maintained.?

Carne said RPL had signed contracts with all of Dataway?s Novell customers.