Tech Data's European sales spike 25 per cent

Chief executive Robert Dutkowsky hails fiscal 2011 as one of best in broadliner's history

Computer 2000 parent Tech Data saw European revenues rise by a quarter in the final three months of its fiscal year.

According to full-year 2011 results filed yesterday, the NASDAQ-listed broadliner saw sales from this region hike 14.9 per cent year on year to $4.34bn in the three months to 31 January. In local currencies, this growth rises to 25.1 per cent.

That comfortably tops the 10 per cent annual rise in EMEA sales (in dollar terms) registered by main competitor Ingram Micro in its Q4, which ended a month earlier.

Andy Dow, commercial director at Computer 2000, told ChannelWeb he was pleased with the UK and European performance. "It shows our collection-of-specialists concept is working," he said, singling out the company's retail business and Maverick audio-visual division as two bright spots.

Tech Data's European operating profits are also on the rise, improving from $51.6m to $71.6m year on year (or 1.37 to 1.65 per cent of sales) in the final quarter.

On a global scale, Tech Data generated Q4 operating profits of $117.8m as revenue rose 13.3 per cent to $7.1bn. Full-year sales rose 10.3 per cent to $24.4bn.

Tech Data chief executive Robert Dutkowsky said: "A healthy technology spending environment in both regions, combined with our superior execution and targeted investments in infrastructure, M&A and business processes, resulted in one of the best years in our company's history."