Avnet's Turkish delight at Sanko deal

Distribution goliath forms joint venture with Istanbul-based outfit

Avnet has announced a deal with Sanko Holding Group

Avnet has become the latest international distributor to enter Turkey having set up a joint venture with local powerhouse Sanko Holding Group.

The US-based distributor has acquired a 50.01 per cent stake in Avnet Technology Solutions Sanayi ve Ticaret, which will include the operations of local distributor and Sanko affiliate Akora.

Akora supplies servers, storage, workstations and PC components to about 3,000 Turkish dealers. The IBM and HP partner is headquartered in Istanbul with sales offices in Ankara and Izmir.

Avnet is not the first international distributor to set up a joint venture in Turkey in recent times, with Westcon recently teaming up with local broadliner Index Group.

It claimed the venture would provide it with a ready-made footprint in the market.

Dick Borsboom, president of Avnet Technology Solutions, EMEA, said: “The joint venture provides us with an established footprint in the Turkish IT market, which is projected to grow at a double-digit rate over the next several years.

“With an experienced management team, extensive reseller relationships, and systems and logistics infrastructure already in place, we plan to build on our global supplier relationships and solutions practices to grow a value-added distribution business that offers a full range of technical and business solutions.”