Logitech to axe Zye and Actebis

The peripherals vendor has decided to drop the two specialist distiesin favour of its broadliners

Logitech has dropped Actebis and Zye Technology from its distribution channel, in a move that will see it rely on broadliners only.

Jim Barnes, UK sales manager at Logitech, said Frontline Distribution, Ingram Micro, Merisel and Micro Peripherals will continue to carry Logitech.

'Coming from a distribution background I can see everybody's point of view. We need to service retail customers particularly well and these partners do that. Dropping Zye was a big step to take.'

Barnes, the former retail general sales manager at Frontline, admitted that Marcel Stolk, general manager of Logitech Northern Europe, has left the company.

'He wanted to spend more time with his young family,' Barnes said.

Stolk has become general manager of Olivetti Benelux and has been replaced at the mouse specialist by Brendan MacFerran, the former Logitech UK country manager.

Profile, the merchandising firm run by John Parker, Barnes' former boss at Frontline, has just signed a deal with Logitech to help it crack the independent dealer and retail market.

The peripherals vendor has already prepared its Christmas sales programme and will launch products in September to allow dealers and retailers time to organise their Yuletide sales push.

The Page Scan Colour Pro and Scan Man Colour 2000 scanners will be launched next month, along with the Cordless Mouse Man Pro and Surfman, a mouse designed for Net surfing.

Barnes said the street price of the Page Scan Colour scanner will be cut by u100 to u249 this week. 'We are getting point-of-sale demonstration units ready,' he said.