Widget opens subsidiary in Denmark

Distributor in Nordic negotiations with Dixon Retail

Widget UK has opened a subsidiary arm in Denmark to service sales to Elkjøp, the largest electronics retailer in the Nordics and the most profitable part of Dixons Retail.

Mark Needham, chairman of Widget (pictured, right), told ChannelWeb that more orders would be flowing through very soon, not least because new sales accounts have been opened in Sweden and Finland as well as Denmark.

"We are in late-stage negotiations with Elkjøp and we hope to start supply to the retailer in October," he said.

Needham revealed this morning that "putting his hand up in class" had opened the path to productive negotiations.

Widget's annual "back to school" push begins every year with the AGM of Dixons Retail - a firm in which Needham owns shares.

Notwithstanding the performance of the shares per se, owning them has given Needham a reason to attend the AGM, thus getting an overview of the retailer's strategic intentions for the coming year.

Last year, Dixons revealed a desire to further integrate the different parts of its group, he said, so he then immediately offered to take the products Widget UK sold to the Scandinavian subsidiaries.

Needham added that it has taken 12 months of work to be in a position to open the Danish subsidiary. Longer term, he believes the Netherlands and Scandinavia could represent more than 10 per cent of the distributor's business.

Dixons' Nordic division includes the Elkjøp and Lefdal stores in Norway, the El Giganten brand in Sweden and Denmark, and the Gigantti stores in Finland. Its Czech and Slovak businesses are also managed through the Nordic business, under the Electroworld banner.