Germany-based distributor sets up shop in UK

Stordis claims larger rivals are no match for its skills and expertise as it launches local office

German distributor Stordis has used the opening of its UK office to take a few shots at its rivals' broadline approach.

The Stuttgart-based distributor specialises in high-performance computing products and recently hired former Acer sales boss Andrew Jones to head up its UK operations.

It also announced earlier today that it has bagged a pan-European distribution deal with storage and networking vendor Emulex.

The firm claims 70 per cent of its business comes from outside of Germany, predominantly the UK, which is why it has set up home here.

Speaking to ChannelWeb, Alexander Jeffries, chief executive of Stordis, explained: "In the past, we were supporting customers from Germany, which worked fine. But sometimes we noticed the distance."

Jeffries claimed lead times had not been a factor in its decision to move here, as its turnaround on deliveries is often quicker than its UK-based rivals.

"Resellers like that the products are shipped immediately, whereas some of the broadliners do not always have the stock available to do that," he said. "That is where we get Brownie points."

This view was backed by new recruit Jones, who said some larger distributors do not appreciate the full impact shipping delays can have on resellers' businesses.

"I am very conscious of the fact that our products are a piece of a jigsaw that could be worth millions of pounds to a reseller," he added. "Other distributors I have worked with, not for, have not always had that same drive."

From a technical standpoint, he said broadliners can struggle to match the expertise offered by more niche players.

"A lot of distributors are more like order-taking organisations," said Jones. "They train their staff so they have enough knowledge to have a conversation with someone [about a product], but as soon as it goes deeper than that, it's the end of the conversation."