Midwich snaps up German AV distributor

Distributor now present in Europe's three largest markets

Distributor Midwich now boasts a presence Europe's three largest markets after confirming it has acquired German outfit Kern and Stelly.

Hamburg-based audio-visual specialist Kern and Stelly employs 32 staff, working with vendors including Epson, Prometheon, NEC, Hitachi, Elmo and Samsung.

The acquisition follows on from Midwich's 2010 purchase of French AV distributor Sidev and means it now has a sizeable presence in the UK, France and Germany, as well as in Ireland courtesy of its 2009 Square One buy. Last year it leapt into Australia when it bought IDT.

Midwich managing director Stephen Fenby confirmed in a statement to CRN: "When combined with Sidev and Square One, this means that our group is now a major player in the European AV industry.

"We are now able to offer our vendors and customers a high level of support and services in the three largest European markets, with the ability to reach into other markets."

CRN understands that, just like with Sidev, Midwich intends to leave Kern and Stelly - which was founded in 2004 - to its own devices rather than tinkering with its business model.

For fiscal 2012, Diss-based Midwich parent M&R320, which includes the contributions of Square One and Sidev, saw turnover rise four per cent to £210.9m.