Westcoast has secured an agreement to buy rival distie Actebis from German giant Otto Group after nine months of negotiations.

The deal - terms undisclosed - will catapult the UK-owned company into Europe's third biggest computer distie, behind Tech Data and Ingram Micro. Actebis has operations in 15 European countries.

Joe Hemani, Westcoast's chairman, revealed the agreement in an interview with Microscope.

"It is true to say that we will be the third largest distributor in Europe, but it is my wish that by mid-[2004] we will be the second largest distributor — and I have plans to ensure that. Rivals should be afraid, very afraid," he told the trade mag.

"If we wanted to play in the Premier League, we had to do something of this audacious nature."

Hemani's interview is here. Among other things, he says he will drop the Westcoast name in the UK in favour of Actebis. ®