Figures from the Global Technology Distribution Council show that the EMEA distributors have seen sales grow faster than their mates in the US.
The figures show that the European market IT market is growing faster than the US seeing sales surge in the first quarter which helped Europe have a strong start to the year.
Countries that had been in decline last year turning it around with Spain up 13 percent , Portugal 19 percent , France 4 percent , Belgium 12 percent , Germany 7 percent , Norway 16 percent and the UK with an impressive 12 percent growth to the end of March.
The UK saw distribution getting high levels of new business.
Tim Curran, CEO at GTDC, told its European summit that the year had started well across Europe, up by three percent in January, but had been six percent by the end of March.
He added that the role of distribution had changed and its position as a closer strategic asset for the vendor community was paying off.
“We come from an industry based on inventory, cost and fixed assets, but the amazing integration between distribution and the vendors has produced an industry with lower inventory, but much higher fulfilment rates. That makes it more efficient and profitable,” he said.
The GTDC’s position is that there is still plenty of extra services that distribution could provide vendors, but they have yet to engage with them in certain areas.
“Distribution can also help solution providers with skills shortages, particularly in the technology solutions around the cloud. Vendors often say they need help to enable their partners to take advantage of the new ways of working,” said Curran.
