Computacenter denies interest in Icelandic firm

UK infrastructure and services giant rubbishes rumours that it is interested in Nordic rival

Computacenter chief executive Mike Norris has scotched mounting rumours that the corporate reseller is bidding for Nordic rival Opin Kerfi Group (OKG).
The London-listed giant currently operates in the UK, Germany and France, but Norris told CRN he had no interest in increasing Computacenter’s geographic reach.
“This rumour is entire rubbish,” Norris said. “We haven’t considered buying OKG even for a nano-second. We’re not interested in buying anything in the Nordics or any country we’re not already in.”
OKG’s parent, Icelandic telecoms and media giant Dagsbrun, planted a for-sale sign outside the reseller’s headquarters in October after spinning it into a non-strategic arm.
OKG employs 450 people across the Nordics, including 300 in Sweden, placing it in a chasing pack of pan-Nordic resellers behind undisputed leader Ementor.
Gylfi Arnason, chief executive of OKG, admitted it was public knowledge that the company was on the market, but he refused to divulge further details.
“It’s not newsworthy that we are up for sale,” he said. “The situation is ongoing. Bids have come in and companies have enquired about the price.
“We have a good standing in the Scandinavian market, revenues of £100m and 450 staff, but we are smaller than Ementor.”
Local reports have also linked the VAR with Topnordic/Ementor, whose chief executive has admitted to local Nordic press that he finds Opin Kerfi an interesting company.
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