Northamber laments April slowdown

Distributor confirms that IT and PC sales last month were "far lower than anticipated"

Braving the storm: Levels of UK sales in April were lower than anticipated

Northamber has issued a gloomy interim management statement warning of a dip in sales in April.

The broadliner complained that the market remained rocky in its fiscal third quarter to 31 March and admitted conditions had deteriorated further in its fiscal Q4.

Northamber chairman David Phillips said: “As has been widely reported in the sector, for the month of April, the level of UK sales of PCs and IT equipment generally were far lower than anticipated.

“Possible causes have been as variously and widely attributed as the re-emergence of commercial users’ March year-end budgets and the volcanic ash disruption.”

Phillips argued that Northamber’s performance had been “creditable”, stressing that the distributor is just above break-even on a pre-tax level for the first nine months of the year.

But he admitted the fall in demand was reflected in the broadliner’s April sales.

Phillips added: “The lack of strength in the market is evidenced by the unwillingness of vendors to increase prices which would normally be driven by weaker sterling.”