Mitsubishi seeks corporate clout

The revamped Mitsubishi Electric PC Division is setting its sights onwinning corporate resellers

The Mitsubishi Electric PC Division will move back into the notebook market following a reorganisation aimed at capturing City-based corporate resellers.

The former Apricot dabbled its toes in the mobile market four years ago but was eventually forced to withdraw.

Apricot will open an office in the Strand, London, on 1 October and needs a selection of machines across the range to attract corporate resellers, said Chris Buckham, marketing director at Mitsubishi.

The office will work with City resellers and will include a sales, marketing and administrative team as part of the firm's effort to become one of the top 10 PC companies worldwide by the end of the decade.

Mitsubishi has promoted Brian Androlia to become a VP. Former channel marketing manager Alistair Carvlin has become a marketing manager and James Blackledge will become marketing director of the online Infotrade group on 1 January.

Androlia said: 'In October we'll take our top 20 resellers to a seminar discussing the long-term strategy of Mitsubishi. We must make a real attack on the City. The Strand office will include facilities to hold seminars and marketing events.'

He said that Apricot had already recruited Info' Products as one of its key corporate resellers and had formally introduced an MDF scheme to help resellers and distributors target the markets successfully.

Buckham said it would focus on growing both retail and channel business and will launch a leasing scheme in conjunction with finance house Lombard to help finance resellers.

The company is set to move into the US market and will establish a relationship with another partner to give it a foothold. The first time Apricot entered the US market it was a flop, but the $200 million investment from Mitsubishi will give it more clout, a representative said.