Distributor line ready for Olivetti relaunch

Olivetti has completed its appointment of UK distributors in the lead-up to the launch of the separate PC company at Cebit next month.

Ten distributors now handle the Echos range, four the Modulo desktop PCs and the same four the SNX server range, said Mike McCormac, group marketing director.

ETC, Ingram and Dublin-based Sharptext distribute the whole range, with Micro Peripherals missing out on the Echos notebooks.

The list of companies distributing the notebooks includes Intac Data Systems, Metrologie, Midwich Thame, Millbank Computers, Mobile Planet, Portable Computers and Westcoast.

The revamped PC company, to be known as Olivetti Personal Computers, will be formally launched next month, McCormac confirmed.

He said: 'We've had a lot of entertainment getting our distribution strategy right but we're winning the battle now. Ingram comes out fighting every time and Micro P, SCC and the others are doing very well. We've had a few hiccups.' Olivetti decided to push its notebooks, desktops and servers through two tier distribution last year but McCormac confessed there had been some 'growing pains' getting the strategy right.

'On the basis that we've only been doing it for six weeks it's going very well,' he said. 'At the moment we're making no attempt to recruit specialist distributors (for the SNX range) but that could change if we see the need for it.'