Core of troubled Apple reseller sold

Rival buys reseller MacLine, claims good times ahead

Troubled Apple reseller MacLine, which went bust last week, has been bought by rival reseller Cancom.

Cancom, which also acquired failed Apple reseller Mygate recently, bought MacLine's business assets for an undisclosed sum.

Max Wright, managing director of Cancom, said MacLine had been making redundancies before the sale, and that his firm had hired the 11 staff that remained.

MacLine will now become Cancom MacLine. Cancom is in negotiations over keeping the firm's website running.

"The guys that are not doing well have to offer a discount in pricing, which is just a short-lived honeymoon," Wright said.

He claimed that by the end of next year Cancom will be the biggest Apple reseller in the UK.

Clive Longbottom, services director at analyst Quocirca, said: "The UK Apple market is weak; it has never been as strong as in the US. Apple has not maintained the 'wow' factor, so it is up against it."