The big four take more
The giants of US distribution are taking a bigger slice of the UK market, but local specialists are taking the fight to their larger rivals, says Doug Woodburn
Doug Woodburn: There is still a pack of resilient, UK-based specialists holding their own
ChannelWeb's analysis of the UK’s top distributors reveals just how polarised the market is becoming as consolidation violently reshapes the local landscape.
US-based goliaths Tech Data, Avnet, Ingram Micro and Arrow now occupy four of the top six slots, having led a rash of M&A activity in recent months.
These big beasts are increasing in power, accounting for combined sales of £3.2bn – which amounts to half the top 25’s total sales of £6.5bn. But below that we can still identify a pack of resilient, UK-based specialists holding their own.
What does this consolidation mean for resellers? Over the coming weeks ChannelWeb will ask for your feedback on this and many other topics as we get to the bottom of the UK channel’s most dynamic sub-sector.
One thing is already clear: as our analysis indicates, the distribution industry is braced for radical change as vendors and resellers demand more from the channel’s middlemen. As more strain is placed on their shoulders only those who evolve quickly will survive.
Doug Woodburn is news editor of CRN