Acer signs up education reseller

Hardware Vendor strikes #3 million deal with Clifton Reed to sell portable range into UK schools and colleges.

Acer has extended its reach in the education market after signing sell portable range into UK schools and colleges. reseller Clifton Reed to push its portable products into schools and colleges throughout the UK.

The long-term deal, worth approximately £3 million in the first year, will strengthen Acer's education strategy, which the hardware vendor has stated will be a key market next year. It recently recruited ex-headmaster Jonathon Renauden Smith to develop its education reseller accreditation scheme.

The deal signified an expansionist strategy for Clifton Reed, which has traditionally only sold Mitsubishi products into the education market.

Jane Featherstone, marketing co-ordinator at Clifton Reed, said: 'We have spent a lot of time looking for an additional vendor that could support us long term in this sector because it is very competitive and price sensitive.'

John Puddle, managing director of Clifton Reed, claimed Acer would be able to offer 'benefits over other hardware vendors on the market'.

Anita Bowles, European marketing director at Acer, said the deal raised its number of resellers in the education sector to 12. 'This market requires resellers to be very focused. They need to offer expertise in areas such as consulting and integration - they are not just box-shifters,' she added.

Bowles said Clifton Reed would be supplying PCs, servers and laptops as part of its inclusion in Microsoft's initiative to drive computer sales into UK schools. It would also offer a variety of finance packages, such as leasing and hire-purchase, to suit individual schools.

ICL/Fujitsu and Hewlett Packard are also participating in the Microsoft initiative.