Euro printer sales on the up-and-up

Channel Roundup The market for printers in Europe is continuing to grow. Sales increased 17 per cent for the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. Context's SalesWatch tracks indirect sales for business and consumer buyers. All-in-one inkjets grew fastest with sales up 97 per cent compared to a year ago. HP kept the top slot with 44 per cent market share. Lexmark and Epson fought over second spot: Lexmark had 18 per cent and Epson had 17 per cent.

Azlan appointment

Azlan has appointed Stephan Boutboul to the new post of European business development director. He will be responsible for relationships with key suppliers across 13 European countries with Azlan offices. He will remain based in Paris. Boutboul was previously product services director for Azlan France. Richard Pryor-Jones, managing director at Azlan said: “Stephan has a great deal of experience of both Azlan and the market and this made him the ideal candidate for this pivotal role in our European business development structure.”

ComputerLand goes to Saudi

Polish reseller and integrator ComputerLand has signed a memorandum of understanding with Al-Gosaibi & Partners to target the Middle East market. The two are setting up Al-Gosaibi ComputerLand which will be based in Saudi Arabia. ComputerLand will own 51 per cent of the new company and will get three seats on the board and gets to choose who the CEO is. The firm is being primed with €450,000 initial investment. The firm will target banking, industry, public projects, telecoms and healthcare and utilities. It is the first Polish-Saudi joint venture to operate within Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a population of 23 million and the IT market is worth around $4bn, the same as Poland.

Cisco brakes for Italy

Brembo, which makes brakes for Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche, is buying an IP-based network from Cisco. Brembo will install 200 Cisco IP phones as the first stage of the project. The brake manufacturer is also taking wireless phones for use in its factory. The company was previously using mobile phones to contact factory workers but this was proving too expensive. Cisco is also providing 170 unified messaging seats. Cisco is also providing security in the shape of a PIX 515 firewall.

VIP offers personalised catalogue

VIP Computers has launched an online price list browser to save customers trawling through endless Excel spreadsheets. It is configurable for each user and allows you to choose individual or multiple manufacturers or product groups. These defined lists can be emailed within the company or printed off. You can also save searches which can then be quickly updated with new prices. There is more information here. ®