VAR powerhouse Bechtle keeps on growing

Pan-European reseller sees revenues swell to close to €700m in three months to June

Goliath reseller Becthle has toasted another quarter of double-digit growth on the back of strong sales in its home market of Germany.

Domestic revenue in the three months to the end of June climbed from €403.47m to €469.69m while international revenue jumped from €200.21m to €216.38m, marking an acceleration of growth from May's encouraging first-quarter results.

Divisionally, Bechtle's IT system house – which encompasses its B2B reseller operations and managed services – led the sales charge, generating €451.54m, a year-on-year increase of 16.1 per cent. This translated into a 10 per cent rise in profit, with the division's EBITDA up to €13.79m from €11.42m.

The company's IT e-commerce arm also put in a strong performance, with revenue up 9.2 per cent to €234.52m and a 20 per cent surge in EBITDA to €13.79m.

Bechtle's impressive results come alongside increased investment in hiring and training over the quarter, wherein group headcount grew 8.5 per cent to 6,938, including 389 trainees.

The VAR also remains free of debt, with a liquidity of €136.3m, a balance of €62.9m above its financial liabilities.

In terms of outlook, Bechtle chairman Thomas Olemotz said he was confident that full-year revenue and earnings would outperform those reported in 2014.

"Together with the good first quarter, the excellent figures of the second quarter have carried us to the top end of the target range of our expectations for 2015.

"Provided that the positive economic framework conditions persist, all signs are currently indicating another record year."

Bechtle is headquartered in Neckarsulm, Germany, and operates 65 independent system houses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.