Steljes sheds staff in latest lay-offs

Further headcount reduction at distributor as tougher times continue

Education and corporate market specialist Steljes has made about 10 staff redundant across a number of departments.

Sources close to the distributor have confirmed the layoffs, saying that eight to 10 people left the company last week, from "a number of departments including sales, marketing and product management".

Steljes has not yet responded to half a dozen calls CRN has made over the past few days in hopes of learning more.

However, one of CRN's sources said the latest action was part of what seems to be "almost an annual cull" of staff at the distributor.

In March 2011, Steljes confirmed 12 redundancies and sought 11 new hires as part of a refocus on the best opportunities for growth.

As reported by ChannelWeb at the time, the distributor's then-sales and marketing director, Martine Dodwell-Bennett, said that although the overall structure of the business had not changed, the balance of roles within it had required a rethink.

Dodwell-Bennett, who was at Steljes for eight years, parted ways with the distie in January 2013.

Most of the 2011 redundancies were from its education market-facing roles, in line with the firm's growing emphasis on opportunities in the corporate space for its interactive whiteboards and related technologies.

It is understood that the corporate market remains a high priority for Steljes.

In the UK, the education market for interactive whiteboards is believed by analysts to be near saturation point, although some schools are beginning to embark on refreshing their boards.

Growth has returned to the interactive whiteboard market in the UK this year after six years of decline, but much of that is being driven by the corporate market, according to analyst Futuresource Consulting.

In 2008, Steljes, which is believed to have about 150 employees in total, also axed a small number of staff. It also made cuts to its headcount in 2007.

No vacancies are currently listed on the distributor's website.