IT Distribution Industry Organization Expands European Market Presence

ST. PETERSBURG, FL--(Marketwire - December 5, 2007) - The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), an international consortium of leading IT distributors with more than $100 billion in total revenue, is substantially expanding its European market presence. Related developments range from the addition of three new council member companies based in the region -- DCC Sercom, LOGIX and Westcoast -- to the introduction of a comprehensive database service providing detailed IT sales trend reporting by product and channel, as well as the appointment of the GTDC's first General Manager, Europe, Peter van den Berg, effective December 3, 2007.

Van den Berg, an industry veteran, was most recently vice president of vendor management, purchasing and operations at Ingram Micro Europe, where he was the primary contact for Ingram Micro's vendor partners throughout the region. He had been with Ingram Micro since 1993, and his positions with the company ranged from country manager in Norway, integration manager Latin America, to chief financial officer for the Netherlands and, subsequently, Northern Europe. Prior to Ingram Micro, van den Berg was with Nedac-Sorbo, a well-known Dutch service merchandiser in household products, Price Waterhouse and ARCO Chemicals.

"Peter is ideally qualified to lead the expansion of our organization within the European IT distribution industry," commented Tim Curran, the GTDC's CEO. "He will focus on European member recruitment, growth and support as well as key initiatives. We have already conducted related workshops on major industry issues such as WEEE and RoHS regulatory developments, and Peter will help us address many other areas of critical importance to distributors and their vendor partners."

The GTDC's New Members in Europe

Three additional IT distributors in Europe recently joined the GTDC, which already includes other industry leaders based in the region -- Actebis, Magirus AG, and Scribona -- as well as additional leading international distributors based in other parts of the world. The new members are:

DCC SerCom

DCC SerCom, the technology distribution division of Irish plc DCC, markets and sells information technology and consumer electronic products in Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe through its subsidiaries including Distrilogie, Micro-P., GEM Distribution, Pilton, and Sharptext. DCC was established in 1976 and became listed on the Irish and London stock exchanges in 1994.

LOGIX Group

Founded in 1992, LOGIX Group is a leading specialized distributor of infrastructure solutions in Europe. Offerings include software, servers, storage, networking and security through a network of integrators, publishers and consultants. Based in France, LOGIX has international subsidiaries in Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Morocco, Poland, Holland, Israel, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Westcoast

Established in 1984, Westcoast has become a leading national wholesale distributor within the UK. Westcoast has built a product portfolio spanning the whole computing spectrum, ranging from desktop PC and notebook products through to high-end server solutions, network products, printers, peripherals and related accessories and consumables.

'SalesWatch - Distribution' Service Introduced in Europe

The GTDC recently announced the immediate availability of a European technology sales tracking service based on GTDC member sales carried out by leading European IT market research company, Context. Its joint introduction with Context of SalesWatch - Distribution follows the success of a similar service, The NPD Group Distributor Track®, in the United States. That offering, introduced in October 2002, and the Context service are both available by subscription.

About The Global Technology Distribution Council

The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) is a worldwide industry association dedicated to defining and promoting the role of wholesale distribution in a successful and healthy information technology channel. The Council is comprised of the computer industry's top wholesale distributors dedicated to serving "the channel," a network of skilled value-added resellers and retail stores focused on providing hardware, software, and services to businesses and consumers around the globe. GTDC members include Actebis, Arrow Electronics, Avnet, Bell Microproducts, DCC SerCom, ECS Holdings, Ingram Micro (IM), LOGIX, Magirus AG, Scribona, Synnex, Tech Data, Westcoast LTD and Westcon.

Contact Information: GTDC MEDIA CONTACT: Chuck Miller 00 1 (727) 939-1562