Avnet to move Magirus staff into UK HQ

Employees to move across to Bracknell Sterling Centre headquarters by year end

Avnet's integration of Magirus is progressing at pace in the UK as it prepares to move its employees into its Bracknell head office.

Avnet closed its acquisition of pan-European distributor Magirus in October, catapulting it into four new European countries and bolstering its ties with vendors including Cisco, VCE, F5, Juniper and Veeam.

After announcing some post-acquisition top-level management changes last month, Avnet has now begun the process of bringing the two firms' staff together.

In the UK, the acquisition left Avnet with three Bracknell locations: Magirus' office is based just down the road from its own Bracknell Sterling Centre headquarters and the distributor also recently took space in another satellite office in the town in Arlington Square.

In a statement to ChannelWeb, Avnet Technology Solutions senior vice president Sukh Rayat, said: "Our priority has always been to quickly facilitate teamwork between the Avnet and Magirus employees and as such the Magirus employees will move into the Bracknell Sterling Centre office, before year end."

ChannelWeb understands the move could be a precursor to some major changes Avnet is making to the way it operates in the UK, including plans to focus its efforts on fewer resellers.

Avnet would not comment on the specifics, but Rayat said: "The office moves support the new Avnet Technology Solutions UK go-to-market strategy, to be announced shortly, that reflects the changing needs of our business and supplier partners and ensures we continue to improve on the value we deliver."

ChannelWeb also understands that Magirus' UK managing director, Denise Bryant, will be handed a sales director role at the enlarged organisation, although Avnet would not confirm this.