Midwich swoops on Owl

AV distributor sinks talons into fallen rival

Audio visual (AV) distributor Midwich has this afternoon finalised an agreement to buy struggling competitor Owl Visual Systems from administration.

East Sussex-based Owl operates in the high-end projector and large format display market, boasting contracts with the likes of Sanyo, Philips, Mitsubishi and Panasonic.

The distributor, which has 20 staff and a turnover of £15m, will operate as a stand-alone division of Midwich.

Owl recently admitted it was restructuring its business but said it hoped to continue trading after appointing a ‘consultancy’ to sound out buyers (CRN, 4 February).

The distributor, which performed a management buy-out around two years ago, recently lost a key contract with NEC.

Shaun Marklew appointed to manage the Owl Visual Systems division, said: “This is great news for our customers and manufacturer partners.

“I’ve worked at Owl for ten years but also had a spell with Midwich so I know the management team well and look forward to the opportunities this will bring. Owl will retain its own strong identity offering a range of AV products and services; however we'll have access to the financial, management and administrative resources of a larger group.”

Commenting on the Owl acquisition, Nick Culley, Managing Director of Midwich, said: “We’ve respected and followed Owl’s progress for many years. Their products, services and customers are a very good fit for Midwich and we both share the same passion for delivering a first class service to our business partners. It’s great to have Shaun on board again and we already have some exciting plans for Owl.”