Ace-quote.com has bumper week

Ace-quote.com, the online IT business-to-business exchange, announced last week that it had broken new ground when it processed £10m worth of requests in one week.

Ace-quote.com, the online IT business-to-business exchange, announced last week that it had broken new ground when it processed £10m worth of requests in one week.

This is twice as much as the company's previous highest figure, which was set just three months ago. The company has over 4500 reseller partners, which are serviced by dedicated account managers.

Helga St Blaize, communications director at Ace-quote, said: "We processed between 150 and 200 requests that week, which was pretty average. But what we are noticing is that the value of the requests is increasing."

She said requests are now being placed for servers, virtual private networks and internet developments. Jon Phillips, customer service manager at Ace-quote, said the company is moving towards higher-value IT equipment and services.

Resellers who have taken up the Ace-quote offerings include the IBF Group in Stirlingshire. David Jennings, the company's account manager, said: "It has allowed us to find customers that we would not normally be able to secure with our traditional model."

Alex Tatham, commercial director at Ideal Hardware, said that Ace-quote plays a very important role in the IT channel. "I think there is a big opportunity for this type of development because the government and the chamber of commerce don't do a very good job of promoting e-commerce. I think [Ace-quote] will be very successful and I am delighted because it does a very good job of drumming up business for [resellers and distributors]," he said.

Howard Cuthbert, marketing director of JustXS, the online service launched in September, said that online trading communities are becoming necessary in the industry. "We grew out of solution provider PST because it recognised that an online trading environment would be of benefit to it," he said.