Ingram open to European relationship with Dell

Broadliner refuses to rule out possibility of extending US partnership to this side of Atlantic

HP’s strength in Europe will not preclude Ingram Micro from working with Dell in the region, top management at the distributor have confirmed.

Dell recently signed Ingram and fellow broadliner Tech Data to carry a limited range desktop and notebook SKUs in the US.

The announcement immediately sparked speculation that Dell will eventually appoint the duo in Europe.

Jumping into bed with Dell in a continent where HP is the dominant force could have political implications for a broadliner, commentators have asserted. HP shipped more than twice as many PCs as Dell in the final quarter of 2008 in western Europe, according to Gartner figures.

But Alain Monie, chief operating officer at Ingram, said the distributor's strategy for working with Dell in Europe would be driven by customer demand.

“Although there are no specific discussions [for extending the relationship outside North America] at this stage, the possibility exists,” he told CRN.

“We are a broadline distributor so we will carry all the products our customers demand.”

Monie hailed the US relationship as a coup for the channel.

“It is great that someone from outside the channel recognises that it is the most efficient way to get to SMEs,” he said.

The partnership will allow Dell to offer US VARs next-day delivery. North American president Keith Bradley said that Ingram’s sales, marketing and services prowess was also attractive to the vendor.

“One of the things that really impressed Dell was our use of data analytics,” he said. “We have six years of clean data on about three million end users.”

Bradley said the partnership with Dell would be extended to different SKUs and geographies only if Ingram proves it can serve existing Dell customers better than Dell itself.

“If feedback from resellers is positive, like any vendor we will follow that up and have a conversation about expanding the line,” he said.