Wasp stings Westcoast as fourth distributor
Barcode vendor ends year-long hunt for ally capable of expanding its public sector presence
Barcode technology vendor Wasp has signed up Westcoast in the hope that the distributor will open the door to new resellers in the NHS and education markets.
Wasp searched for a new distributor for about a year before signing up Westcoast, which will complement its existing distributors Ingram Micro, Northamber and Entatech.
The distributor was selected to keep pace with demand following a number of public sector wins, according to Wasp, which claimed that it is usually cautious about signing new distributors because it risks "moving product from one... to another".
Hugh Furness, Wasp's European sales director, said the agreement, which came into force today, will deepen links with existing markets and attract new VARs.
He described Westcoast as a key account for his firm, which focuses on easy-to-use barcode solutions for small businesses.
He said: "Westcoast is very dynamic in its approach, and [operates in] areas in which we do not have traction.
"However, [it is] huge in education and the NHS and we have been winning major contracts [in that space], as well as with the Ministry of Defence."
He added that the two firms' strategies align in the SMB market, which Wasp is keen to develop.
Alex Tatham, Westcoast's sales and marketing director, said: "The fact that Westcoast has such a strong health, education and SMB portfolio makes Westcoast the perfect choice for Wasp.
"Wasp's solutions perfectly complement our focus on HP EPOS systems and [its] extensive range of products will also aid in expanding our solutions base for our customers."
Wasp hopes the agreement will attract new resellers to join its current WaspLink partner programme, as well as its newly launched VAR Start programme, which it claims offers resellers everything it needs to sell its products, including marketing support and lead generation.
Furness added that it was hoping to sign smaller, independent resellers, despite still working with the likes of Insight and Misco.
He said: "We want independent VARs to join WaspLink. It is a two-way partnership because they want the product margin, traction and access to our bundles and asset inventory, and we want a VAR that can offer a team of people that understands [customers'] needs and who are able to offer our product range straight in."