Ingram faces fine over late accounts

Ingram Micro UK has landed in hot water after failing to submit June 1997 financial results to Companies House, the central records office.

The distributor was expected to present its accounts on 31 October, but at the time that PC Dealer went to press, Ingram Micro was already more than two months late in handing over its figures and has already incurred a #100 fine.

According to a representative at Companies House, Ingram Micro's last accounts were submitted in December 1995, at which time the company had not applied for an extension which would have allowed it a 10-month grace period.

The representative explained: 'The company cannot be struck off for this, but that can happen if annual returns are not submitted on time.'

The US distributor has started the year on a turbulent note by announcing a top-level reshuffle of its senior management, including the retirement of vice president John Winkelhaus, while in the UK Nigel Judd took on the role of director of marketing services for Europe.

Ingram Micro also confounded industry critics by managing to escape the chop as an Apple distributor, as was widely expected by the UK channel when the vendor began reviewing its UK distributors in November last year (PC Dealer, 14 January).

The Companies House representative said that if a company's failure to present its figures exceeds three months, it could be fined #250. The fine would then rise to a #1,000 if it were to go beyond a year.

Ingram refused to comment.