Press release
- IM's broad line business to focus exclusively on the Swedish market
- IM's existing DC/POS operation remains a strategic business in all four Nordic countries
BRUSSELS, (Belgium) March 20, 2009 - Ingram Micro EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), a division of Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM), the largest global wholesale provider of technology products and supply chain management services, today announced its intentions to restructure its Nordic broad line operations to position the business for greater profitability.
Ingram Micro will focus exclusively on the broad line Swedish market as well as continue its focus on its existing DC/POS (data capture/point of sale) business which has a presence in all four Nordic countries and is the second-largest DC/POS operation in Europe.
Ingram Micro will restructure its broad line business in each of the four Nordic countries in order to simplify the operations and position the business for improved performance. The Nordics restructuring will involve:
- reducing the Swedish workforce to support the creation of a single country broad line operation in Sweden,
- the intended closure of broad line operations in Norway and Finland in Q2 2009,
- the sale of the Danish broad line operations to Actebis, which was announced earlier today in a separate news release.
Jay Forbes, President of Ingram Micro EMEA, said: "The combination of the rapid deterioration in the global economy, the corresponding reduction in IT spending, and persistent price erosion in these markets has created the need for an appropriate response. As a responsible business we need to re-position our broad line business in the Nordics for long term success."
"Today's announcement is aimed at simplifying our operating model in the Nordics. We will build a profitable stand-alone broad line business in Sweden, where Ingram Micro enjoys both a solid market position and good growth prospects, and we will continue our strong focus on our DC/POS business where we have a presence in each of the four Nordic countries and have built a leadership position across Europe," continued Forbes. "We remain committed to serving our partners fairly and responsibly during this time of transition."
The Danish transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed early in the third quarter of 2009. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
