Expanding NOXS takes Risc
Pan-European distie makes 15m euro acquisition
Security distributor Risc Technology has been bought by pan-European distributor NOXS for 15m euros, as part of its bid to become Europe's largest specialist security distributor.
Kay Eggleston, UK country manager at Risc, said the deal will mean there will be significant investment in the business. "By 2006 we are expecting our annual turnover to exceed 200m euros," she said.
A combined turnover for the two companies for the past year would have been 150m euros.
Eggleston said the take-over is especially good news for Risc's UK operation, which has been running for only a year. Risc also operates in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
"In the UK we do not anticipate a major change because NOXS does not have a UK operation," Eggleston said. But she added that the headcount in the UK operation is likely to increase.
Since its launch Risc's UK operation has not signed any A-list vendors, Eggleston said.
She added that she hopes the UK arm will soon distribute products from some of its European operation's more established vendors following the NOXS take-over. Across Europe Risc distributes products from vendors such as ActivCard, Blue Coat, Check Point, Citrix, and NetScreen.
Bernie Dodwell, business development director at distributor Wick Hill, said he is not surprised by the NOXS move.
"This is the way the industry has been moving; consolidation combined with firms seeking a presence in new regions," he said.