Varlink trains sights on £10m turnover

Specialist distributor's six-month results show a 32 per cent sales increase and confidence is running high

Mobile computing and data capture distributor Varlink is determined to smash through the £10m sales barrier for its current financial year.

The York-based firm saw sales jump 32 per cent to £4.7m for its half-year results ended 28 February 2011, and is confident its second half will pull in similar results.

Mike Pullon, managing director of Varlink, said its mobile computing and EPoS divisions have put in a strong six-month performance, and demand for its Getac rugged PDA products has also increased.

“The technology we are bringing to the marketplace is seeing a growth in interest from the resellers,” Pullon said. “At first the technology was very specialist, but it is being used now by a lot more companies and we are seeing a spread outside our core customers.”

Pullon said its Psion and Opticon ranges are also experiencing a spike in demand. The distributor, which is now in its sixth year of trading, is also recruiting staff in several areas including EPoS, marketing and technical support; with headcount expected to hit 26 this year.

He added that Varlink’s market was outperforming other sectors which will help it achieve its £10m ambitions.

“We are in a different position to a lot of firms because our customers are looking for productivity gains by using our technology,” he said.

Demand is coming from three main areas, Pullon explained: organisations that need to match the service levels of their competitors and so are investing in the technology upfront; firms that need to downsize their employees, but still need to capture data and supply chain information for their customers; and finally utility companies that are seeing an increase in demand for their services and need to invest in the technology to supply that demand.