Press release
Restructure to introduce new partners and Nokia UK Partner Network
London, England, 15th September, 2011 - Nokia today announced that following a six month balanced and comprehensive strategic review it has selected three new partners to support its UK distribution network. As part of a thorough refresh of its UK distribution model, Nokia is also introducing the Nokia UK Partner Network http://www.nokiapartnernetwork.co.uk/ to provide product training, device seeding, sales support and care to telecom dealers, IT resellers and independent retail store customers. The Nokia UK Partner Network has been created to bring more value, support and care to the entire ecosystem of UK channel partners and customers.
Nokia has appointed Micro-P as its chosen distributor within the consumer and business telecom dealer channel. Ingram Micro (UK) Ltd has been appointed as Nokia's distributor within the business IT reseller channel. Kondor's relationship has been strengthened and will become Nokia's franchise accessories partner. All partners have been appointed immediately, and will replace Nokia's previous UK distributors.
"It is an incredibly exciting time for Nokia in the UK, and we are delighted to be bringing on-board new partners with the capabilities and approach that align with our vision and strategic growth plans," said James Kitto, Nokia UK's head of retail & distribution. "The combination of this new distribution model and the launch of the Nokia UK Partner Network will help drive value for the entire ecosystem, and enable Nokia UK to deliver the best mobile phone and smartphone solutions to our customers right across the marketplace."
Micro-P have been selected to provide enhanced support and service for Nokia's existing online, dealer and retail channels, while Ingram Micro will focus on driving growth for Nokia smartphone solutions with mobility enablement of cloud and enterprise solutions. Both Micro-P and Ingram Micro are Microsoft certified partners. Kondor has been appointed as Nokia's first franchise accessories distributor in Europe and will distribute the complete range of Nokia accessories products. Kondor will also have a license to manufacture personalization and protection accessories under the ‘Works with Nokia' brand.
"We are incredibly excited to join Nokia on this exciting journey and work with UK dealers to help build demand for the complete portfolio of Nokia devices amongst both consumer and business-focused audiences," said Gerry O'Keeffe, Micro-P's managing director.
"There is huge opportunity within the enterprise and SME market for powerful smartphone solutions that offer a simple and easy to manage way of connecting people with the information they need, when they need it. We're thrilled to be working with Nokia, and bringing further mobile solutions to the IT reseller channel" said Matt Sanderson, UK Managing Director for Ingram Micro. "We're very much looking forward to continuing to work with Nokia at this exciting time in their development. With the Nokia Gear Portfolio and our franchise agreement we can deliver a comprehensive accessory ecosystem to the UK market," said Michael Bartlett, Kondor Commercial Director.
