Compel to take charge

£400,000 restructuring charge to bring business back into line

Reseller Compel is to take a £400,000 restructuring charge to bring its business back into line.

Sir Michael Bett, Compel's chairman, claimed the firm had achieved moderate success, but had not seen any signs of "an improvement in the trading environment for the business".

Bett said: "Compel's performance this year was respectable amid the most difficult market conditions the IT industry has ever experienced."

He added that customer confidence has deteriorated further, demonstrated by longer decision cycles and project deferrals.

Compel has around £10m cash in the bank, Bett said. "Against the backdrop of these challenging conditions, the firm is strongly funded," he said.

Alan Norton, head of intelligence at credit reference agency Graydon, said the firm had plenty of cash reserves and a healthy value on the stock market.

"This is a blip rather than anything serious," he said. "Lots of firms have struggled this year and, in context, this is not a serious scenario for Compel."