ACCPAC aims for mid market with VAR drive

Accountancy software vendor ACCPAC has established a presence in the UK, with the aim of tripling its reseller channel in the next 12 months.

Accountancy software vendor ACCPAC has established a presence in the UK, with the aim of tripling its reseller channel in the next 12 months.

The US vendor hopes to beef up its reseller base from about 25 VARs to as many as 75 in a bid to take on rivals Navision and Great Plains in the upper-mid market, as well as in the Sage-dominated SME space.

ACCPAC, owned by Computer Associates (CA), has taken office space in CA's new European headquarters in Slough.

The vendor sells Windows-based accounting systems for corporates and small businesses, as well as e-commerce systems.

Cyrus Razzaghi, European general manager at ACCPAC, said the company was looking for VARs that are new to the accountancy market, as well as partners with close ties with accountancy firms. ACCPAC will also target VARs that are looking to "fill a gap" in their existing product portfolios.

VARs will sit an exam to gain accreditation, and in return will receive "above industry average" margin and other perks, including marketing funds and free technical and pre-sales support.

Razzaghi also said the vendor will "hand-hold" VARs through their first few implementations.

The company will initially focus on the highly-competitive UK market before expanding into France and Germany. "The UK and Europe are very competitive and progressive markets, and they offer resellers considerable opportunities in terms of consultancy and e-commerce," said Razzaghi.

Bill Williams, managing director of SystemLink UK, an ACCPAC reseller for 10 years, described the vendor's recruitment drive as a positive measure.

"When it had no UK presence, ACCPAC was not given a lot of focus, as previous distributors did not have the means to promote the product sufficiently," he said. "But now, more resellers means there will be more people who will be talking about ACCPAC."