The UK's top 40 IT distributors generated nearly £13bn revenues in their latest years, CRN research has found. Here we count down those ranked 25th to 11th...
"We have aspirations to be a $1bn business in the near future"
15. Sahara Presentation Systems
Revenues: £78.7m (+8%) (£39m of which UK)
Specialism: AV
Key vendors: Clevertouch, Epson, Conen, Sedao, Smart Metals, Roth
UK headcount: 100+
HQ: Dartford, Kent
Billing itself as an audio visual distributor that "happens to also distribute its own brand" - namely interactive touchscreen offering Clevertouch - Sahara was acquired for by smaller, NASDAQ-listed peer Boxlight in September 2020.
Dartford-based Sahara saw revenues rise eight per cent to £78.7m in its year to 31 December 2019, but that total includes nearly £40m of sales from outside the UK. CRN also understands that Clevertouch generates in the region of 85 per cent of its top line, putting its third-party distribution revenues around £12m.
Quickfire Q&A with Sahara CEO Mark Starkey
Which emerging vendors are you betting big on this year?
Clevertouch - it is our own brand and we are growing rapidly by selling globally and developing a whole eco system around Clevertouch Technologies
Have you made any significant vendor signings in the last 12 months?
Nothing significant - in fact we served notice on a couple of vendors which we though were less strategic in our go to market strategy. For us it is all about having a very clear and defined strategy
What specialism is your firm known for, and what sets you apart from your peers?
We are a specialist audio visual distributor with a particular strength in the education sector. We are experts in projection and interactive flat panel displays.
What's the biggest misconception about distribution?
Too many people think there is minimal value add in distribution. If you work with a distributor who has deep knowledge in a particular market, or of certain product sets, then it can help significantly grow the sales pipeline of any vendor.
How would you summarise the health of the distribution sector in 2021?
Sahara had its most profitable year ever in 2020 and we are on track to have another record year in 2021. For us the health of the distribution sector is very strong although we are aware that some of our competitors struggled during COVID lockdown, so I guess the market health is mixed.
What's been your biggest disappointment of the last year?
Not being able to visit customers face to face and travel to see our international partners and customers
Do you expect to grow in 2021?
Yes - significantly
At first glance, the rise of cloud must be pretty devastating for distributors if there is no physical product to ship. How have you adapted?
There is an old expression - revenue is vanity, profit is sanity. We may not be the biggest distributor out there but we are certainly one of the most profitable. You need to sell what your customers want to buy and if that is not a physical product, then it should not make any difference. We sell a lot of software and there is no physical product to ship so the challenges of cloud are not really significant for us. We embed cloud solutions into the products that we sell. It is all about staying relevant to your customer.
Which UK competitor do you respect the most, and why?
No one stands out in the distribution business. I respect certain resellers such as Softcat which have grown significantly and have built a dynamic and aspirational business.
Tell us one thing most people won't know about your company?
We recently sold Sahara to a US listed NASDAQ business, Boxlight. Shaun Marklew, Pat Foley and myself were all appointed as execs onto the Boxlight board, which means that we are now running a US-listed business with aspirations to be a $1bn business in the near future. Very exciting times ahead.
Which Mitel and Avaya distie ranks 14th in our rundown? See next page for answer...
