2e2 to curb ambition as quality tops the agenda

After seeing profits increase last year, integrator to focus on mix and quality of business

Having reached its target of £200m annual turnover, integrator 2e2 intends to focus more on quality than quantity as it seeks to avoid becoming a faceless corporate monolith.

2e2’s results for the year to 31 December 2007 showed turnover was up 42 per cent to £203m, while operating profit rose 32 per cent to £10.3m. The results are the first published since 2e2’s acquisition of Compel, which had a turnover of more than £90m when the deal was completed in March 2007.

Nick Grossman, business development director at 2e2, told CRN: “We had an especially good year with our vendors. The Cisco Master unified communications accreditation allowed us to win some of our biggest contracts ever, and we are one of only three Microsoft Voice Ready partners in the UK.”

Having reached the £200m target set when the company was founded six years ago, Grossman was wary of making similarly ambitious plans. “There is no new target of £400m or £500m ­ that is the wrong way to go. It is more about the quality and mix of our business,” he said.

“We have a very broad customer base and 70 per cent of revenues come from services, which was always an ambition. We are very flexible and technically sound and must be careful not to become a large corporate monolith.”

Keith Humphreys, managing consultant at analyst euroLAN, said: “These figures look very strong. I was expecting them to come in at £157m. 2e2 is addressing the right markets with the right portfolio and is in as good a shape as anyone.”