Lenovo loves its UK partners

Vendor aims for 20 per cent growth for its partners as part of aggressive plans

UK Lenovo partners can expect at least 20 per cent growth in the coming year, according to Neil Berville, executive director of EMEA channels and programmes.

Speaking to CRN at the vendor’s 2012 EMEA Channel Forum in Berlin, Berville assured UK partners that they would see a significant chunk of the £1bn worth of extra channel business that the vendor was planning to create by the end of its financial year.

He said: “95 per cent of our business in the UK is through the channel. The business that does not go through the channel is because it is with big global customers that want to buy direct. Even then there is often an opportunity for resellers to deliver a service around it.”

Berville added that despite Lenovo’s concerted push on retail for the coming year, its traditional resellers should not feel left out.

“We have distinct product families and our products can be aligned with specific partners. For example, we have expanded our Edge family of products and our B2B range, so we have products that go from what you see on the high street all the way up to $1,500-plus products in the B2B space. There is something for every partner.

“Although we are being bullish, the retail rollout is very structured and we focus only on what sells off the shelf. We just want to make sure that the channel expands accordingly as we grow.

“We have put a lot of time into our channel programmes and understanding them and making sure they are profitable for resellers. We reward partners better than most of our competitors – we reward them for selling as much as whatever flavour of Lenovo.

“We know we have a much smaller reseller base than HP does for example, and we urge resellers to come and partner with Lenovo and be different.”