ALSO Group 'ciaos' down on Datamatic to earn bigger slice in Italy

Swiss distributor first entered the Italian market in 2022

ALSO Group today announced it has inked a preliminary agreement to acquire Italian distributor Datamatic.

The Switzerland-based distie described the Italian IT sector as a "dynamic industry" with a projected compound annual growth rate in the high single-digit range.

A deal with Datamatic would offer ALSO more growth opportunities in Italy after the successful market entry of ALSO Italia in 2022 when it acquired VAD Executive Group.

"ALSO Italia has grown significantly in the as-a-service and cloud segment. The acquisition could be a valuable addition to our presence in Italy, offering channel partners not only a broader portfolio of product categories, but also access to our highly successful cloud marketplace," said Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding (pictured).

"This will enable them to amplify both in their transactional and their consumptional business."

Headquartered in Milan and founded in 1973, Datamatic counts HP, IBM, Dell, Microsoft and Intel as some of its key vendors.

ALSO praised Datamatic's "comprehensive" vendor portfolio and SMB-focused customer base.

The final purchase agreement should be signed over the coming weeks, with closing following after the standard regulatory approval.

ALSO's European expansion

The pan-European distribution giant has been on a growth spurt the past few years.

It launched in the UK last year with the roll out of its cloud commerce marketplace with plans to initially recruit around eight UK staff.

"An increasing number of customers have been asking us to get access to the full ALSO service and vendor portfolio," Möller-Hergt said at the time.

"This is why we have decided to enter the market with a local presence. It will enable UK resellers to provide their customers with access to workplace-, business-, and cybersecurity-applications as well as cloud infrastructure of global vendors."

Operating in 28 European countries, ALSO has expanded into both Italy and Portugal via acquisition, with a deal in Hungary in 2022.