PCR Awards-2016 by Future PLC

FINALIST SUPPLEMENT Thursday, March 10th 2016 The Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London, W8 4PT Headline Partner

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CONTENTS & COMMENT

PCR Awards 2016 Thursday, March 10th 2016 Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London 7pm til late

harp-eyed observers may have noticed a change of editor. Nothing permanent – but as the Headline Partner I have the pleasure and privilege of being the guest editor of the PCR Awards supplement, so step aside Dom, sit back readers and here goes… Over the last decade, the PCR Awards have become a key part of the social calendar for the channel and one that Entatech has been proud to sponsor; this will actually be our ﬁfth year as the Headline Partner. Entatech looks to 2016 with signiﬁcant optimism and has ambitious plans for the year ahead. Critical to our future is making our industry, vendors and resellers successful – and by further empowering our customers we can share in the mutual growth. Awards ceremonies are important to any industry, as they recognise the leading companies for their exceptional efforts over the past year. The beauty of the PCR Awards is that they represent the four cornerstones of the channel, with recognition being given to every tier of the traditional distribution model: vendors, distributors, resellers and

Ticket & Table Prices: Single Seat: £230+VAT Table of Ten: £2,300+VAT Ticket and table enquiries: Contact Georgia Blake on 020 7354 6010 or email GBlake@nbmedia.com Sponsorship opportunities: Contact Jennie Lane or Sarah Goldhawk on 020 7354 6000, or email JLane@nbmedia.com or SGoldhawk@nbmedia.com

FRONTLINE System builder..........................................................................Page 6 Independent retailer ...............................................................Page 7 National Retailer......................................................................Page 8 Reseller ....................................................................................Page 10 Online retailer .........................................................................Page 13

CHANNEL SERVICES Dealer services provider ......................................................Page 14 Analyst ......................................................................................Page 16 Marketing/PR agency............................................................ Page 17

“Over the last decade, the PCR Awards have become a key part of the social calendar for the channel and one that Entatech has been proud to sponsor. It’s an immensely enjoyable evening.”

DISTRIBUTION Software Distributor ............................................................. Page 21 PC Gaming & Hardware Distributor ................................ Page 23 Components Distributor ..................................................... Page 24 Peripherals Distributor ....................................................... Page 25 Consumer Electronics Distributor ................................... Page 26 Marketing & PR Distributor................................................ Page 27 Service and Support ............................................................. Page 28 Distributor of the Year ......................................................... Page 29

channel services ﬁrms. My particular highlight is the Grand Prix Award, given to a company which has had a sensational year in the channel. Last year I was honoured to have the opportunity to present the Grand Prix award to Intel Corporation. A critical part of any community is the ability to socialise together in a fun and friendly environment. The PCR Awards are an immensely enjoyable evening for our partners, colleagues, customers and industry associates to enjoy themselves. So let’s look forward together with anticipation and excitement to Thursday March 10th and I shall look forward to seeing you there. Dave Stevinson, Managing Director, Entatech

VENDOR Software Publisher............................................................... Page 32 Peripherals Vendor............................................................... Page 33 Components Vendor ............................................................Page 34 Desktop PC Vendor ............................................................... Page 35 Mobile Device Vendor........................................................... Page 36 Networking Vendor............................................................... Page 37 Service and Support ............................................................. Page 38

GRAND PRIX The big award......................................................................... Page 38

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PCR AWARDS 2016

FRONTLINE System Builder Õ Independent Retailer Õ National Retailer Õ Reseller Õ Online Retailer The Frontline awards recognise excellence in customer-facing organisations, whether they’re on the High Street, online or dealing with businesses. The winners of these awards will be those organisations that have best represented the UK tech industry to the outside world.

Frontline Category Partner

THE 2015 FRONTLINE WINNERS WERE: Q System Builder – Overclockers UK Q Independent Retailer – Utopia Computers Q National Retailer – John Lewis (pictured) Q Reseller – Stone Q Online Retailer – Ebuyer.com

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

SYSTEM BUILDER Any national system builder that makes custom PCs and laptops, whether channel-focused or shipping direct to consumers

CHILLBLAST

CYBERPOWER

DINOPC

OVERCLOCKERS UK

Chillblast is a well-established manufacturer of high performance computer systems based in Poole, Dorset. 2015 has been another fantastic year for the business, which has seen continued growth and expansion. Chillblast has taken strides to further expand in 2016 with ISO 9001:2004 certiﬁcation, a new mobile-optimised website and a dedicated business website.

Despite a difﬁcult year in the PC industry, Cyberpower UK has managed to achieve growth from 2014. It excelled in the reseller channels in 2015, supplying customers such as Ebuyer, Amazon UK and Currys/PC World with great value off-the-shelf solutions. In 2015 it added three new resellers to its channel in Very.co.uk, Tesco Direct and Maplin.

2015 was a very busy year for London’s DinoPC. It moved into a new premises – three times larger than its existing site – with capacity to produce up to 2,000 PCs a month, a large showroom and more room for stock holding. During 2015, DinoPC refreshed its website, introduced new branding and secured direct accounts with Gigabyte and Corsair.

In 2015, OCUK struck a surprise deal with GAME to bring its systems into GAME stores. System technician Abigail Bowen won the PCR Women of the Year Rising Star award, and the ﬁrm launched its £12,000 8K-ready Supernova system, featuring four Titan Xs and built by overclocking guru Ian ‘8Pack’ Parry. OCUK also offered visitors to i-series a free on-site repair and delivery service.

PC SPECIALIST

SCAN COMPUTERS

UTOPIA COMPUTERS

YOYOTECH

Having moved into bigger premises in April 2015, the second move in 18 months, PC Specialist says it’s gone from strength to strength to position itself as the UK’s leading B2C system builder. Over the last 12 months it has strengthened its partnerships with the UK’s leading etailers and retailers, including Currys/PC World, Ebuyer, Dabs.com, Maplin, Laptops Direct and GAME.

Scan was founded in 1987 by Shelley Raja. Scan is a multiaward-winning business with a revenue of over £100 million, employing 200+ people and has a Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen as supplier of high performance PCs and IT hardware. Scan is a specialist etailer and high-end system integrator under its brand ‘3XS Systems’.

Utopia Computers has transformed itself from an independent PC retailer to a national system builder in the space of a just few years. It now sells custom built desktops, laptops and workstations to clients who want something special. It is the ﬁrst system builder in the UK and the only computer retailer in Scotland to be Living Wage accredited.

A recognised UK gaming brand since 2002, Yoyotech merged with Centerprise Group in 2013 to increase its retail presence, giving it access to a 52,000 sq ft production facility in Wales, where it’s capable of producing over 500 units per day. Furthermore, it works closely on defence projects with Centerprise and supplies high performance PCs to government bodies.

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PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Frontline Category Category Partner Partner

INDEPENDENT RETAILER SYSTEM BUILDER Any bricks and mortar computer retailer, or ﬁrm involved in the support and repair of PCs, with ﬁve stores or fewer

micro plus computers

AIREDALE COMPUTERS

BLACK BEAR COMPUTERS

With a turnover of almost £500,000 per annum, Airedale Computers is the trading arm of a registered charity – the Chrysalis Youth & Community Project. The innovative social enterprise is based in West Yorkshire and was established in January 2002 as a means to retrain long-term unemployed people, in order to help them secure jobs.

Black Bear Computers has been trading as a family business In Lancaster for more than 19 years. 2015 has been a year of change for the retailer, with a major shop reﬁt, the launch of new business support services and a brand new gaming division – Black Bear Gaming – offering system building services to local customers.

PCS MADE SIMPLE

PC SOLUTIONS

PCs Made Simple has been around for 10 years and has enjoyed another year of growth over the past 12 months. In 2015 it achieved Trusted Trader status with Which? Magazine, held free Young System Builder events teachings kids how to build PCs, and grew its business to target companies nationwide, as well as local private schools, churches and charities.

PC Solutions has the largest section of new and refurbished computers and laptops available to purchase in Perthshire. It provides comprehensive computer and IT support and repair services, and has a range of support and help desk facilities, security, network installation and management, IT procurement and support services for consumers and businesses.

PCR AWARDS 2016

CHIPS COMPUTERS Chips Computers’ husband and wife team focus on giving their customers a five-star experience. This has helped the firm’s gross profit increase over the last 12 months. As well as repairing and building computers, Chips also offers web design, video creation, and smartphone/tablet repairs. For customers with special needs or disabilities, Chips provides bespoke services.

SWEETHAVEN COMPUTERS Over the last 12 months, Sweethaven has been reﬁtted to enhance product display and footfall, a connected home demo area has helped introduce a new product range, and a gaming area has launched. For 2016, Sweethaven is launching a new website, targeted e-shots and is adding a stretched wireframe system for enhanced display. 7

MICRO PLUS COMPUTERS As a family business looking after customers in Shropshire and Wales for 25 years, Micro Plus Computers has more than 23,000 local customers, as well as 18 full time staff. It runs weekly training sessions on a variety of IT related subjects, charging £3 per head and donating the money to local charities.

TECHCPR 2015 was a huge year for TechCPR. Turnover and proﬁt rose, and in April last year the business rebranded, changing its name, image and extending its retail and workshop space by doubling the size of its premises. TechCPR now offers mobile phone, tablet and retro games console repairs, as well as stocking smartphones and smartwatches. www.pcr-online.biz

Frontline Category Partner

NATIONAL RETAILER Any computer or technology retailer with either more than ﬁve stores or a national network

www.pcr-online.biz

ARGOS

JOHN LEWIS

MAPLIN

Argos is currently three years into a ﬁve-year transformation strategy to reposition itself from a catalogue-led to a digitallyled business. In October 2015, it became the ﬁrst retailer to offer same-day store collection and same-day home delivery across the UK. The retailer has also introduced a Live Chat service on argos.co.uk across 49 different product categories.

John Lewis has almost 50 UK stores and offers TV, home cinema, appliance and computer installation services, as well as Wi-Fi, data transfer and computer health check services. Sales over the Christmas 2015 period rose 6.9 per cent to £951.3 million, with online sales rising 21.4 per cent. Its technology category was its strongest in that period, up 9.6 per cent year-on-year.

Maplin says it’s the UK’s biggest specialist retailer of consumer electronics, offering the best and most informed customer advice on the High Street. Its team of over 2,000 store and customer service staff help thousands of customers make informed choices about technology purchases. It also opened a ‘drone academy’ to train staff to become experts in ﬂying the devices.

PC PAL

TESCO

PC Pal is a UK-wide on-site computer support company specialising in troubleshooting and resolving tech problems for residential customers and small businesses. It has a growing network of professional, qualiﬁed and experienced engineers who go through a comprehensive training process including CompTIA A+ and Microsoft certiﬁcation.

As one of the biggest retail chains in the UK, Tesco stocks a vast array of goods including tech products from smartphones to laptops, e-readers, PCs, games consoles, tablets, TVs and more. In 2015, Tesco told PCR about an uplift in its desktop PC sales, as well as its strong ongoing performance within the laptop category, having doubled its share of that market in 2014. 8

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

RESELLER Any reseller, VAR or system integrator

www.pcr-online.biz

AAG SYSTEMS

AML MIDLANDS

ATG

In the space of six years, AAG Systems has increased its turnover substantially. This is especially signiﬁcant given the fact the business it originally acquired (which became the nucleus of AAG) was a failing business. Its headcount has grown from ﬁve to more than 50 and it has plans to grow the company even further over the next few years.

AML Midlands is an IT company based in Derby, with clients from across the UK. Business owner Anthony Lay has worked in IT since 1996 and set up AML in 2005. He says the ﬁrm is a onestop shop for all IT requirements, from hardware to software, internet connections, off-site data backup, web hosting and support. Each client is treated as if they are the only client.

ATG achieved growth in 2015 as part of its ﬁve-year plan to bring its turnover to new heights, and be the Midlands’ number one company serving SMBs in the area. Its service and efﬁciency ratios are in the top ten in the UK. It offers business continuity solutions, cloud services and secure networks to protect customers from cyber attacks.

MIRUS IT SOLUTIONS

PRECEPT IT

Mirus IT Solutions is a managed services provider that was founded in 2002. In 2015 the business closed its ﬁnancial year with 200 managed service contracts in place and 85 staff. 95 per cent of current customers are satisﬁed with its services and 90 per cent of those would recommend its services to others.

Precept IT is a small IT services provider based in Belfast and trading across the UK and Ireland. In the last 12 months it won a number of notable contracts, including the Spar Group, providing on-site installation, internet access, training and a managed helpdesk. It also secured an IT support and Wi-Fi contract with La Mon Hotel & Country venues.

SWEETHAVEN COMPUTERS

Over the past 12 months, Sweethaven has continued to build its reputation and expand its offerings across B2B and education. Its headcount has grown from 14 to 24 and it has seen a 30 per cent increase in regular client bases within the B2B and B2E sectors. It has also launched new dedicated websites for both sectors. PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Frontline xxx Category Category Partner Partner Partner

ONLINE RETAILER SYSTEM BUILDER Any computer or technology retailer focused predominantly on etail

Shop

AMAZON

BOX.CO.UK

BT SHOP/DABS.COM

EBUYER

Amazon.com launched in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Products and services pioneered by Amazon include 1-Click shopping, personalised recommendations, Prime, Fire tablets, AWS and more.

Box.co.uk is a one-stop shop for electrical and computing products in the UK, with over 150,000 different product lines listed on its website from gaming PCs, laptops and tablets to projectors, media streamers and printers. It offers great value for money, and even has a custom built PC conﬁgurator on its site to help customers and gamers build their perfect system.

BT Shop – the online etailer that has developed under the dabs.com PLC umbrella – has grown signiﬁcantly in 2015. Visitor numbers and revenue are up, plus order volumes are increasing month-on-month. BT Shop now delivers smartphones for thousands of new BT Mobile customers, as well as 4K TVs for the recently launched ﬁrst Ultra HD TV channels in the UK.

Ebuyer.com has four million registered customers and 250 employees. 2015 was a year of brand-building with national advertising campaigns with the TV channel Dave, and digital TV and radio campaigns with TALKSPORT. Continuing with building Ebuyer as a ‘Tech Knowledge Brand’, it invested in improving its social media reach as well as a redesigned blog.

PCR AWARDS 2016

OVERCLOCKERS UK

SCAN COMPUTERS

SHOP DIRECT

Overclockers UK stocks a wide range of gaming PCs, peripherals, graphics cards, gaming chairs, storage and PC monitors. The Overclockers UK Forum claims to be the most popular of its type in the UK, featuring a blend of computer and lifestyle discussion topics. OCUK says its mission is to become the best place to buy hardware, systems and gaming products in the UK and Ireland.

With more than £1.8 billion in annual sales, Shop Direct says it’s proud to be the UK’s second largest online pureplay retailer. More than 59 per cent of its sales are from mobile devices, and its websites (including Very.co.uk and Littlewoods) receive over one million visits every day. Very.co.uk is now Shop Direct’s biggest and fastest growing brand with more than £850 million in annual sales.

www.pcr-online.biz

DEALER SERVICES PROVIDER This brand new PCR Awards category aims to recognise the UK trade’s best dealer services provider

AGILITAS

COMPTIA

GEKKO

Agilitas is a customer led dealer services company with 25 years’ experience, providing reseller clients with a wholesale ‘inventory-as-a-service’ portfolio including IT support, training, repairs, hardware sales and technical support. It’s increased forward stocking locations by 200 per cent, and reduced faulty repair rates on IT parts from three per cent to 0.2 per cent.

As a member-led, non-proﬁt vendor-neutral organisation, CompTIA brings together a global network of channel businesses and IT professionals, providing a voice of – and for – the industry. CompTIA provides free access to many resources, its EMEA Conference in London brought together over 450 delegates and initiatives like Dream IT and Teen Tech are growing the industry.

Gekko is one of the top ten ﬁeld marketing and experiential agencies in the UK, and a leading IT and technology brand specialist. It supported the product launch of the EcoTank printer range for Epson, leading to return of investment of over £5 for every £1 spent by Epson. It’s also worked for retailers such as John Lewis, training staff on its new broadband service.

NETWORK GROUP

STOCK IN THE CHANNEL

SYNAXON

A leading technology community with 60 members and group turnover nearing £350 million, Network Group has delivered its partners growth year after year. In 2015, it delivered ﬁve community events for partners, launched its Catalyst E-Procurement Solution, signed a European agreement with HP and delivered record growth for its Managed Print Partners. www.pcr-online.biz

Started in 2009, Stock in the Channel now has over 40,000 reseller users, generating more than 60,000 searches a day. PC retailers can use the site to ﬁnd out which suppliers have stock and how much it costs. They can see their negotiated, personalised prices with their distributors within the Stock in the Channel site. 14

As the biggest dealer group in the UK with 637 member companies, Synaxon helps members buy better, sell more and reduce costs. Turnover rose by 20 per cent in 2015, and its EGIS channel procurement system passed the one million SKUs landmark. It has recently launched TrustATec – a trusted services network that will bring a stream of new business to participating members. PCR AWARDS 2016

Call our specialist sales teams North 01282 776776 South 01256 707070

Proud sponsors of the PCR Awards 2016 At Exertis, we are the leading distributor of IT, Mobile, Consumer Electronics and Home Entertainment products to UK retail, representing over 300 brands. We are a one-stop sales, marketing and distribution service provider, supplying product to over 11,000 customers in the Retail, Mobile, Business and Supplies markets. Our state-of-the-art distribution centre, next day delivery and a host of managed services, including creative design, product sourcing and launch capabilities, retail services and end-user fulďŹ lment perfectly position us as your distributor of choice. Find out more about our business on store.exertis.co.uk

Company

ANALYST Another new award, recognising the most valuable analyst in the UK channel

www.pcr-online.biz

BRC

GARTNER

GFK

Retail is an exciting, diverse and dynamic industry undergoing transformational change. The British Retail Consortium is at the forefront – enhancing, assisting, informing and shaping. Its mission is to make a positive difference to the industry and to the customers it serves. Its Retail Sales Monitor, Shop Price Index and Footfall and Vacancies monitor keep track of UK retail.

Gartner says it’s the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. It delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions every day. From CIOs and IT leaders in corporations and government agencies to professional services ﬁrms, Gartner is partner to clients in around 10,000 distinct enterprises worldwide.

GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK’s longstanding data science experience. In the UK alone, GfK works with over 150 retailers to ensure accurate tracking of durable goods.

IDC

JUNIPER

International Data Corporation is a global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy.

Juniper Research was founded in 2001 and has since grown to become one of the leading analyst ﬁrms in the mobile and digital tech sector. Juniper specialises in identifying and appraising new high growth market sectors within the digital ecosystem. Market sizing and forecasting are the cornerstones of its offering, together with competitive analysis. 16

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

SYSTEM BUILDER MARKETING/PR AGENCY This new award highlights the top tech PR or marketing agency, whether consumer-focused or business oriented

AXICOM AxiCom is a leading European technology PR agency with expertise spanning the entire technology spectrum including enterprise, consumer and telecoms. In 2015, it won a number of new channel-focused clients including Lexmark and Circle IT. It also increased its dedicated channel PR and AR fee income of over 455 per cent from the previous year.

PROOF COMMUNICATION Proof Communication is a specialist science and technology PR agency and part of global technology marketing company April Six. Proof was established in 2004 and employs 16 people. 2015 was Proof’s most successful year to date, with revenue at its highest and staff numbers increasing by around 40 per cent. PCR AWARDS 2016

THE IT MARKETING AGENCY Founded in 2013 by Gemma Telford, ex head of marketing for Ingram Micro and Network Group, The IT Marketing Agency specialises in the IT sector and providing ‘marketing as a service’. Its turnover in year one exceeded £250,000 with no external investment, and in year two it hit just over £500,000.

TEXT100 Founded in 1981, Text100 has led the way in technology. It has helped its clients tell their story, whilst also continuing to grow its market share across parallel industries. It works with a number of leading B2B tech brands in the UK market including SolarWinds, Lenovo, Sophos and more. In 2015, Text100 acquired IncrediBull, a brand marketing consultancy business based in London. 17

THE PR ROOM In November 2015, The PR Room, one of the UK’s leading technology public relations agencies, celebrated its 13th year anniversary of successfully promoting its clients. Its successes include premium headset manufacturer Sennheiser (client since 2014), which announced impressive growth ﬁgures for 2015, and longserving client BullGuard.

ZABOURA COMMUNICATIONS Zaboura is an integrated communications agency for the technology industry. It covers the basic PR work of connecting brands with media but builds on that foundation with highly creative campaigns speciﬁcally designed to grow its clients’ businesses, offering a high level of accountability and transparency. www.pcr-online.biz

DISTRIBUTION Software Õ PC gaming and Hardware Õ Components Õ Peripherals Õ Consumer Electronics Õ Marketing and PR Õ Service and Support Õ Distributor of the Year The distribution awards are designed to acknowledge the hard work put in by suppliers, who work hard to get their vendor partners’ products and services into the channel and to the customer.

THE 2015 DISTRIBUTION WINNERS WERE: Q Software Distributor – Tech Data Q PC Gaming & Hardware Distributor – VIP Computers Q Components Distributor – Entatech (pictured) Q Peripherals Distributor – Exertis Q Consumer Electronics Distributor – Exertis Q Marketing & PR – Entatech Q Service & Support – Westcoast Q Distributor of the Year – Entatech

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline xxx Category PartnerPartner

SOFTWAREBUILDER DISTRIBUTOR SYSTEM Any distributor that specialises in or has a large non-games software offering

PCR AWARDS 2016

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

INGRAM MICRO

Entatech made an exceptional effort with software in 2015/16. It achieved continued success with Microsoft, obtaining a 90 per cent market share for Windows OEM. Hitting the retail market, a successful launch with Avanquest in July expanded Entatech’s software attachment opportunities, and had success with key AV vendors Kaspersky Lab, Panda Security more.

Exertis has close relationships with the leading software ﬁrms and a comprehensive portfolio from business to gaming. Its dedicated sales and commercial teams are expert and knowledgeable, providing its retail customers with the help they need to take advantage of software sales opportunities. Sales rose eight per cent year-on-year with annual revenues approaching £10 million.

Ingram Micro launched Cloud Marketplace in March 2015 to enable simple cloud procurement and provisioning for channel partners. Using an automated platform, Cloud Marketplace allows channel partners to access cloud solutions, services and expertise through a single portal, where they can purchase, activate and manage cloud solutions for end customers.

TECH DATA

WESTCOAST

Tech Data says it’s the leading distributor of mainstream business software in the UK. It’s led the way in electronic software distribution (ESD) since launching its TDActivate-here service almost ﬁve years ago. Its ESD and Print to Receipt engine powers the software sales of the UK’s major retailers and etailers, with more than 4,000 software titles.

Westcoast distributes leading IT and mobile brands to a broad range of resellers, retailers and office product dealers in the UK and Ireland. Its four core values are our passion, flexibility, entrepreneurial flair and the personal touches it brings to everything it does.

www.pcr-online.biz

Good luck to all the nominees for the 2016 PCR Awards

Mobile Device Vendor Peripherals Vendor

FINALIST

Desktop PC Vendor

We are delighted to be nominated in three categories

www.hannspree.co.uk

Frontline xxx Category PartnerPartner

PC GAMING &SYSTEM HARDWAREBUILDER DISTRIBUTOR Any distributor that specialises in or has a large PC hardware and/or software game offering

BEYOND TECH

CASEKING

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

Beyond Tech currently sells to most system integrators big and small. It says it will always support them in whatever way they need, whether it be holding stock for them if they run out space, or providing a quick solution to a problem they have. It has helped push the sucessful Sharkoon case range into PC Specialist, GAME and more.

The Caseking UK name has constantly developed over the past 12 months to be recognised as a leading distributor of enthusiast grade hardware. The Caseking UK brands encompass all aspects of the enthusiast market, including products such as Lian Li and Silverstone cases, Super Flower PSUs, as well as Vertagear, AK Racing and Arozzi gaming chairs, and more.

Entatech believes it’s the dominant distributor within this sector and continues to focus heavily on this area. Entatech carries most of the major brands, with a broad range of alternatives available to provide diversity for resellers. It’s ﬁrst to market as a result of its efﬁcient decision making with brands, working with innovators. Many of its staff are gaming enthusiasts too.

Exertis says it’s the go-to distributor for all game-related products and solutions, whether its reseller partners need an Xbox console, peripherals, an off-theshelf gaming PC or additional components to make bespoke gaming PCs. It offers a full and unique selection of marketleading brands, spanning price points from value to premium hardware across all ranges.

INGRAM MICRO

SPIRE TECHNOLOGY

TECH DATA

VIP COMPUTERS

2015 has been a signiﬁcant year of change for Ingram Micro UK with lots of developments in the business that now position it as far more of a channel enablement partner to vendors and resellers. It has maintained an outward focus and achieved great results in its retail business while also working on developing a winning culture amongst associates.

Throughout 2015 the UK has seen exciting growth within the gaming market driven by demand for high performance machines that deliver fast and immersive gaming experiences. As the UK’s most independent channelcentric distributor, Spire says it’s evolved its offering to provide the industry’s best gaming solutions to many of the industry’s most trail blazing gaming SIs.

Over the last two years Tech Data has come a long way – now considering itself a leader in the market. It focuses on both hardware and software, and to support its PC gaming expansion, it has invested in a gaming portal and in-store capability on the back of its earlier Electronic Software Distribution and Print to Receipt developments.

VIP’s performance in gaming and hardware has been one of the strongest on record. In retail, it continues to strengthen its market share with Dixons Carphone and Maplin; plus it now has GAME on board. In gaming, it expanded its portfolio with the exclusive distribution rights of Mionix. Existing partners such as Razer, MSI, AORUS and more have seen their sales increase.

PCR AWARDS 2016

www.pcr-online.biz

COMPONENTS DISTRIBUTOR Any distributor that specialises in or has a large components offering

CASEKING

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

INGRAM MICRO

As a specialist enthusiast distributor, Caseking has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months. A lof of brands the distributor stocks are exclusive to Caseking UK. Its own brand Kolink is the latest to join the Caseking catalogue, aiming at the entry to mid-range market to complement its previously mid to high end listings.

Components are Entatech’s heritage. Thanks to the expertise of its staff, some of whom hold over 15 years’ experience with Enta (harking back to the days of the 386SX, VESA local networking and the beige CRT), it can provide resellers with expert guidance and support. It represents all of the leading brands within this arena and is the go-to distributor for vendors and resellers.

Exertis offers a diverse range of leading brands to help its reseller partners build their component propositions. These can include internal and external hard disk drives, SSD drives to awardwinning premium component products. These range from high quality memory, efﬁcient PSUs, builder-friendly cases, CPU coolers and fast SSDs, monitors and other key system components.

2015 has been a signiﬁcant year of change for Ingram Micro UK with lots of developments in the business that now position us as far more of a channel enablement partner to vendors and resellers. It have maintained an outward focus and achieved great results in its retail business while also working on developing a winning culture amongst associates.

M2M DIRECT

SPIRE TECHNOLOGY

TECH DATA

VIP COMPUTERS

M2M was founded in 1998 as a specialist memory distributor working directly with worldclass manufacturers and suppliers such as Samsung Semi-Conductor and Samsung Electronics, Micron Electronics (Crucial Technology and Lexar) and SK hynix. M2M is now a fastgrowing industry leader in the UK, offering best in class solutions.

As Spire Technology’s 25th anniversary arrived during 2015, it provided the distributor with the opportunity to reﬂect on what has made it so successful over the last quarter of century. The result of this ability to grow whilst retaining its 25 year old core principles set it apart in a modern market of automated sales, and is reﬂected by its breadth of customers.

Tech Data’s components and accessories division has gone from strength to strength. It has added a vendors added to its portfolio of more than 60, and is enjoying growth in its core SMB business, as well as growth in its retail business too. Its ‘Protect, Connect, Extend’ campaign has been overhauled to become a fully ﬂedged conﬁgurator.

VIP has been trading for 25 years and is proud to be one the largest independent distributors of PC components. This has been at the heart of its business since it was established back in 1990. In 2015, components accounted for 67 per cent of its business and it was the ﬁrst distributor to successfully introduce motherboard, CPU and memory hard-bundle solutions to both retail and etail customers.

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

PERIPHERALS DISTRIBUTOR SYSTEM BUILDER Any distributor that specialises in or has a large peripherals offering

BEYOND TECH

CASEKING

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

Beyond Tech says it’s done a lot for its retail customer base. It was one of the ﬁrst partners to sell PC accessories in stores, and helped GAME develop its PC gaming range, with quantities sold being amongst the highest in the category. It’s also introduced the Icy Dock range in Maplin and has approached Argos – selling products for its online range.

The Caseking UK name has constantly developed over the past 12 months to be recognised as a leading distributor of enthusiast grade hardware. It stocks a wide variety of peripherals from keyboards to mice and much more. Despite a late start in the UK compared to some other distributors, Caseking UK is now regarded in its own right as a top shelf distributor.

This has been an area of excellence for Entatech, thanks to its continued relationships with some key vendors within the market. It has maintained a strong relationship with Mad Catz for over 15 years, holding exclusivity for its peripherals, and has seen some of its biggest successes of 2015/16 with Corsair and Steel Series’ gaming ranges.

Exertis’ peripherals business has grown massively year-on-year. Key drivers of growth were sales increases from vendor brands across multiple peripheral categories, such as retail networking, with Exertis the main supplier to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and GAME, and a key supplier to Amazon.

HAMA

INGRAM MICRO

M2M DIRECT

NORTHAMBER

VIP COMPUTERS

Hama UK celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2015, and boasts a broad selection of high-grade products and accessories. By relocating its warehouse to the stateof-the-art Hama logistics facility in Belgium, Hama UK is now able to provide more than 9,300 lines.

M2M was founded in 1998 as a specialist memory distributor working directly with worldclass manufacturers and suppliers such as Samsung Electronics, Micron Electronics (Crucial Technology and Lexar) and SK hynix. M2M is now a fast-growing industry leader in the UK.

VIP’s portfolio of peripheral manufacturers includes exclusive brands such as the world-leader Razer, the innovative Mionix and now its latest addition – Rosewill – which offers a diverse range of keyboards, mice and headsets that appeal to all PC users.

PCR AWARDS 2016

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CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DISTRIBUTOR Any distributor that specialises in or has a large consumer electronics offering

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ENTATECH

EXERTIS

HAMA

Enta has focused on ﬁnding brands that help enrich its resellers’ offerings and ultimately, make them money. It doesn’t just chase the A-brands, but looks to introduce a range of smaller, challenger brands to its product portfolio which helps resellers make headway in this very difﬁcult area of the market. It believes it offers an alternative to the mainstream distributors.

Exertis has a 34-year pedigree in consumer distribution excellence. It offers an expanding and dynamic range of consumer products and an innovative range of wearable tech products, home automation, audio and accessory products. Over the past 12 months it has joined forces with Computers Unlimited and seen the introduction of many new vendors.

As the UK arm of Europe’s largest accessory company, Hama UK says no one knows consumer electronics better. Known for its traditional customer service values and comprehensive retailer support, Hama UK offers high-quality POS, training, business advice and expertise. With the tagline of ‘The Smart Solution’, Hama UK aims to provide just that.

INGRAM MICRO

TECH DATA

WIDGET

Ingram Micro offers a wide range of technology solutions including B2C and B2B sales, advanced solutions, and access to products from 300 vendors. Ingram Micro can now also support its retail customers with a full end to end portfolio utilising services through businesses acquired over the past two years.

Tech Data has continued its growth in consumer electronics across the last year, adding in additional exclusive vendors and investing signiﬁcantly in services, to support its combined approach to market through its Consumer, PC and Tech Data Mobile divisions. It has also expanded its portfolio and provided additional services to support new vertical entries to the market.

According to research undertaken by the ﬁrm, Widget is the fastest growing consumer electronics and IT distributor in the UK, with annual sales growth of 129 per cent in 2015. The company was early to spot the potential of wearable technology and in 2012 became a distributor for Fitbit. It also sold the popular Star Wars BB8 remote control toy to retailers for Christmas 2015.

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

MARKETING & PR SYSTEM BUILDER The communications arm of any IT distributor

COMPUTERS UNLIMITED Computers Unlimited (CU) prides itself on its brand-building capabilities – indeed, it was a key reason the company was acquired by Exertis back in May 2015. From website development to social media campaigns, mailshots, print advertising, brochures, media buying, packaging, point of sale and more, CU handles it all.

NORTHAMBER Northamber is the longest established trade-only distributor of IT equipment in the UK. Since 1980, Northamber has been a trusted partner in IT distribution. Today it’s widely recognised as the largest UK owned tradeonly distributor within our industry. PCR AWARDS 2016

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

INGRAM MICRO

Entatech boasts one of the most active marketing departments within the channel. The team is genuinely creative and in 2015/16 invested heavily into new digital tools to enhance advertising opportunities. 2015 saw the rebrand of Entatech with the new strapline ‘Easy to Do Business With’. The department has introduced new ﬁrms including Entacloud and Entadata.

The Exertis marketing team helps its partners with a wide range of ofﬂine and online marketing services. Its retail marketing services portfolio is speciﬁcally aligned to the needs of retailers from supermarkets through to small independent stores. Exertis’ partners also have access to a strategic toolbox of consumer and retail marketing tools.

Agency Ingram Micro has had a busy and productive first 12 months. The team has expanded from four to 11 people in its first year, picking up five marketing innovation awards from HP. The team has worked on campaigns for HP, Microsoft, Cisco, Kyocera and Acer. It also creates corporate brochures, lead generation campaigns, websites and more for resellers.

SPIRE TECHNOLOGY Spire’s marketing department prides itself on innovative, sometimes ‘left ﬁeld’, marketing and PR activity. To honour Spire’s 25th birthday, a special party box promotion was organised to get customers involved in the celebrations.

TECH DATA

VIP COMPUTERS

WESTCOAST

Tech Data says its marketing as a whole continues to be intelligence-led and focuses on the speciﬁc needs of customers. It brings new concepts and cost efﬁciencies to a broad market on a scale that allows small retailers to compete with larger retailers and etailers.

VIP’s marketing team has undertaken a transformation over the past year, restructuring and expanding; bringing key services in-house enabling it to renew its focus in delivering the very best in channel marketing. VIP Computers recently launched a ‘Star Deals’ Christmas campaign.

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SERVICE & SUPPORT Any distributor that has an outstanding level of customer service

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CASEKING

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

Despite a late start in the UK compared to some other distributors, Caseking UK is now regarded in its own right as a top shelf distributor, not just for its own core brands, but as a one stop shop for all reseller needs. It services resellers of all shapes and sizes, from Amazon and eBay resellers, dedicated resellers (such as Aria and CCL) to independent computer shops.

Service is the DNA of any ﬁrm. Entatech focuses heavily on pre-sales through product management, post-sales through dedicated account managers and post-sales via its strong customer service team. It’s invested heavily into its online services including Entaonline.com, its analysis reporting for customers and a new web chat function for current and potential customers.

Exertis enables its retail customers to grow and prosper by delivering exceptional levels of customer service, an enhanced portfolio of value-added services and high levels of support. Exertis provides an innovative, market leading and dynamic range of retail sales and marketing services, including consumer proﬁling, design and creation of in-store displays, and more.

INGRAM MICRO

WESTCOAST

Throughout 2015, Ingram Micro has brought together multiple services through investment and acquisition to form a Lifecycle Services division. This offers unparalleled levels of capability across device supply, conﬁguration, technical support, regeneration, asset recovery and repair. Ingram Micro can also offer its customers full end to end product supply and support.

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR SYSTEM BUILDER This award recognises a distribution ﬁrm that has performed exceptionally well overall in the last 12 months

CI DISTRIBUTION

ENTATECH

EXERTIS

INGRAM MICRO

The distribution team at Centerprise International has grown from strength to strength since its conception 20 years ago. It has remained a small but focused team, adapting to customers’ requirements quickly and efﬁciently, and offering them that personal touch so many distributers lose. Ci Distribution is one of the largest UK distributors of Toughbooks and Toughpads.

2015 saw Entatech celebrate 25 years’ in the channel. It continued to focus on the SMB market, with a further focus on the retail and corporate sectors. Following the acquisition of new vendor agreements, it maintained No.1 positions for Microsoft and AMD GPUs, with a number two holding for NVIDIA in the channel. It build new brands such as Entadata, Entacloud and User Conversion.

Exertis has a highly successful 34-year pedigree in technology distribution focused on IT, mobile and consumer. It represents over 350 manufacturers spanning more than 30,000 products across computing, consumer electronics, networking, gaming, communications, mobile and AV. It’s the largest UK distributor of PCs, mobile phones and TVs, and the sold Xbox distributor.

NORTHAMBER

TECH DATA

VIP COMPUTERS

WESTCOAST

Northamber is the longest established trade-only distributor of IT equipment in the UK. Since 1980, Northamber has been a trusted partner in IT distribution. Today it’s widely recognised as the largest UK owned trade-only distributor within our industry. It offers ﬂexible trade credit accounts, next-day delivery, drop shipping, a knowledgable sales team and conﬁguration centre.

2015 has been a great year for Tech Data. With growth in independent, retail and etail revenue, and giant steps forward in its joint customer/vendor engagement and services capability, together with signiﬁcant product launches, including a number one position since the launch of Apple iPhone and Apple Watch, it says it’s in a leading position.

VIP is a distributor with a difference – and it’s making a difference. It has opened doors to Dixons Carphone, Maplin and GAME, as well as Box, Ebuyer and Amazon. It’s taken its partnership with the latter to a new level with Amazon Flex – and is one of only two UK distributors with this facility. It’s invested over £1.5 million in its VIP Club members, and has redeemed rebates of over £110,000.

PCR AWARDS 2016

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VENDOR Software Publisher Õ Peripherals Õ Components Õ Desktop PC Õ Mobile Device Õ Networking Õ Service and Support The PCR Awards continue to reward the most innovative and outstanding vendor companies in the channel. This year also sees the addition of the Mobile Device award.

2015 VENDOR WINNERS WERE: Q Software Publisher – Microsoft Q Peripherals Vendor – AOC Q Components Vendor - Intel Q Computing Vendor – Lenovo (pictured) Q Networking Vendor – TP-LINK Q Service & Support – Microsoft

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PCR AWARDS 2016

SOFTWARE PUBLISHER Any ﬁrm that publishes computer software such as accounting tools, security or other professional software

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ADOBE

BULLGUARD

KASPERSKY LAB

In June 2015, Adobe launched a milestone release of its ﬂagship Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services, as well as Adobe Stock, the industry’s ﬁrst stock content service to be integrated directly into the content creation process and the tools creatives use every day. Adobe also had record revenue of $4.80 billion, with year-on-year growth of 16 per cent.

BullGuard’s multi-award winning security software and renowned service and support has helped it to build a reputation for being a truly complete package. BullGuard has recorded UK channel sales growth of 15 per cent year-on-year. The BullGuard ‘Advantage’ revenue share programme has paid out over €12 million to partners – and this ﬁgure is rising.

Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held provider of endpoint protection solutions and is ranked among the world’s top four security software vendors. It protects over 400 million people and 270,000 companies worldwide. In 2015, it made new product enhancements including those to Kaspersky Small Ofﬁce Security, for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.

MICROSOFT

NORTON

SAGE

Microsoft had a huge year in 2015, launching both its latest Windows 10 operating system and Ofﬁce 2016. The tech giant continued to make enhancements to its range of software offerings, from Skype to cloid-based OneDrive and Ofﬁce 365, with the latter providing resellers with the opportunity to generate recurring revenues. It also introduced the Microsoft Edge browser.

Whilst the last 12 months have been filled with discussions about the Veritas/Symantec split, Norton has remained focused on driving growth in the UK and providing support tools for its resellers. It has seen growth of six per cent so far during its current financial year. Norton changed its Partner Portal and relaunched as Norton PartnerNet, giving resellers tools and benefits.

Sage provides customers with a whole host of software and services, including accounting software – from simple invoicing and bookkeeping for start-ups and sole traders to VAT, stock management and business analysis for small businesses – to payroll software, HR solutions, CRM software and business management solutions.

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

PERIPHERALS VENDOR SYSTEM BUILDER Any ﬁrm that produces PC accessories such as mice, keyboards and headsets

AOC

BROTHER

HANNSG

HYPERX

MICROSOFT

AOC International has been around for nearly 50 years and has established itself as a key player in the monitor market. 2015 saw the launch of the 24-inch and 27-inch AMD Free-Sync gaming series, with two models featuring Flicker-free, Anti-Blue light tech, plus 4K models.

Throughout 2015, Brother UK has continued to build on its successes. It worked with 2,500 channel partners and generated sales in excess of £107 million for the year ending March 2015, with growth across a range of markets. It has become the fastest growing scanner brand in the market.

Hannspree’s experience and knowledge of display and technology has made it a leader in the global monitor market with the sub brand HannsG. Since 2006, HannsG has sold well over 1.4 million monitors in the UK market, and is consistently ranked as a top ﬁve monitor seller based on UK sales data.

HyperX is building on its strong foundations within the audio market. It has some exciting designs and partnerships with globally renowned brands soon to be announced. The HyperX Cloud II headset was released into the market in February 2015, which works for most modern gaming systems.

The Microsoft PC accessories team has had a fantastic year across retail and commercial, having launched new products including the Wireless Display Adapter, built some solid channel relationships and continued to drive exceptional levels of CSAT.

MAD CATZ

QPAD

RAPOO

RAZER

SENNHEISER

TURTLE BEACH

Established by passionate gamers in 1989, Mad Catz is a market leader in video games peripherals. Mad Catz products cater for games consoles, handheld devices, Windows PC and Mac computers, smartphones, tablets and mobile devices.

QPAD built its success on a grassroots commitment to the gaming community. QPAD provides the gaming world with premium high-quality equipment, giving esports players, enthusiasts and casual gamers a winning edge.

Established in 2005, Rapoo’s unending commitment to producing innovative, wireless peripherals has earnt it success, reaching the top of the Chinese wireless peripherals market with over 40 per cent market share gained in three years.

Razer products are sold through multiple online and High Street retailers – GAME, Currys/PC World, Maplin and Grainger Games – giving Razer a presence in over 850 UK and Ireland stores. Retailers like GAME and PC World have seen Razer sales grow.

Over the last 12 months Sennheiser has innovated and experienced rapid growth as a leading supplier of headsets and Uniﬁed Communication devices, such as its award-winning Presence Bluetooth headset.

2015 has been a revolutionary year for Turtle Beach with the expansion of the headset business and introduction of new audio tech – Hypersound. It grew its partnership with Disney and EA, producing licensed Star Wars products.

PCR AWARDS 2016

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COMPONENTS VENDOR Any vendor that makes components, for example hard drives, GPUs, CPUs etc

AMD

BE QUIET

CORSAIR

CRUCIAL

AMD prides itself by listening to its customers and developing solutions that not only solve their challenges today, but also push the boundaries of what is possible for tomorrow. In 2015, it launched the multi-award winning Radeon R9 Fury X GPU, Radeon Software Crimson, 12-core APU Carrizo and the FirePro W9100 professional graphics card.

As a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies, cases and cooling solutions for PCs, be quiet! never ceases to develop itself as a brand and enhance its products. It launched nine products in the UK last year, including the Dark Power Pro 11 PSU. In January 2015 it added Spire Technology as a distributor, and in May it teamed up with Caseking UK.

Founded in 1994, Corsair has grown from pioneering the highperformance DRAM market to one of the world’s leading providers of enthusiast-grade PC components and peripherals. Its groundbreaking technology and innovation can be found in its high-performance memory, ultra-efﬁcient power supplies, PC cases, PC and CPU cooling solutions, and SSD devices.

Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology Inc, one of the largest memory and ﬂash storage manufacturers in the world. It makes computer memory upgrades (DRAM) and solid state drives, and offers more than 250,000 upgrades for over 50,000 systems.

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INTEL

NVIDIA

XFX

2015 was an exciting year for Intel, having launched its 750 series consumer SSDs as well as the Core i7-6700K and i56600K desktop processors, aka Skylake. In July, Intel and Micron announced they are working on 3D XPoint memory technology, which promises to bring nonvolatile memory speeds up to 1,000 times faster than NAND. Intel is also big in eSports.

NVIDIA says its GeForce GTX GPUs continue to make the perfect ﬁt for those looking to upgrade their existing GPU, in order to play the latest blockbuster triple-A games, or those who want to build a new gaming PC. Last year, NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX Titan X, GTX 980 Ti GPU, GTX 980 for notebooks, its GameWorks VR software dev kit and more.

XFX is a division of PINE Technology Holdings Limited, a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovative solutions for the worldwide gaming technologies market. Founded in 1989, PINE develops highperformance video graphics technology and computer peripherals. It’s pushing the limits to meet the demands of the performance-driven community.

PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

DESKTOP PC VENDOR SYSTEM BUILDER Any ﬁrm that produces desktop computers, such as traditional towers or small form factor PCs

ACER

ASUS

DELL

HANNSPREE

Throughout 2015, Acer has had a continued focus on solidifying its core PC notebook and desktop business through innovation, product leadership and meeting market trends while also excelling in new categories such as gaming and the Chromebase All-in-One. It launched the Revo One mini PC, Revo Build Series customisable mini PC, Predator gaming desktop and more.

Over the past 12 months, ASUS showcased a range of all-in-one (AIO) PCs, including the 23.8-inch Zen AiO Z240IC and 21.5-inch Zen AiO Z220IC. It launched the ROG GR8 console-inspired gaming PC with an Intel Core i7/i5 processor and NVIDIA GeForce graphics, plus 4K/UHD support.

Dell is synonymous with the PC and continues to be at the forefront of innovation and design excellence. Dell’s global PC share increased on a year-over-year basis (14.5 per cent from 14 per cent) for the tenth consecutive quarter in Q2 2015, reﬂecting a 3.5 per cent quarter-over-quarter shipment increase.

Last year, using its knowledge of the tablet and PC market, Hannspree introduced an all-inone PC which provided casual PC users with a low cost, space saving Android powered solution, combining the touch screen tablet experience with big screen computing. The evolution of this product concept has since seen Hannspree produce the market’s ﬁrst Micro PC.

PCR AWARDS 2016

PC SPECIALIST

XMG

TERRA

In 2015, PC Specialist won the Best Desktop PC Manufacturer 2015 (Computer Shopper) and was Highly Commended in the same category for PC Pro. It is one of the only UK system builders to supply its desktop PCs into a vast range of retail partners, including GAME, Currys/PC World, Ebuyer, Dabs.com, Maplin and more. It also regularly advertises on TV.

Schenker Technologies, with its successful XMG brand, is a leading producer of highperformance desktop PCs. The devices are characterised mainly by the seamless integration of the latest and most powerful components and parts. It’s heavily involved in the growing eSports space, sponsoring the likes of DreamHack and the Meltdown eSports bars.

TERRA Computer Limited has been established in the UK for two and a half years now as a channel-focused supplier of branded PCs. Its parent ﬁrm, Wortmann AG is a 12,000 reseller strong business driving over €1 billion in revenues. Wortmann/ TERRA is the largest channel partner of Intel/Microsoft, building the highest volume of desktop PCs.

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MOBILE DEVICE VENDOR Any ﬁrm that produces mobile computing devices, such as tablets, notebooks or wearables

ACER

ASUS

DELL

HANNSPREE

In 2015, Acer solidiﬁed its existing core PC notebook business and excelled in new categories such as gaming, Chromebooks and in 2-in-1s. Acer renewed its leadership and innovation in the gaming segment with its latest notebooks and tablet from its Predator product line. The Predator 8 gaming tablet was chosen by Tom’s Guide as the ‘Best Tablet’ at IFA 2015.

ASUS has consistently achieved significant year-on-year growth in terms of consumer notebook units shipped. In 2015 it unveiled the ROG GX700 – the world’s first water-cooled gaming laptop. Other mobile devices include the portable handbag-style ZenPad 8, the Zen Watch 2 smartwatch, the ZenFone Selfie smartphone and new additions to its Transformer Book series.

Two-thirds of Dell customers buy a notebook or desktop and the company has the most secure commercial laptops, notebooks and tablets in the industry. 2015 saw Dell’s launch back into retail in the UK. It announced an agreement with John Lewis and Tesco to stock Dell’s XPS, Inspiron and Venue Pro laptops and tablets in their stores.

Having enjoyed a resounding success with the HANNSpad Tablet PC range in previous years. This series features specialist proprietary touch screen displays up to 13.3-inches. The HANNSpad series is sold mostly through online retail partner such as Misco and Ebuyer. Hannspree will introduce a range of Windows tablets to complement its line-up of large screen Android solutions.

LENOVO

NVIDIA

SAMSUNG

XMG

TERRA

Lenovo remains on a journey to become the world’s number one tech vendor. In order to do this it continues to invest heavily in R&D. In 2015 it launched an industry ﬁrst – a tablet with a build in projector. Lenovo holds 22 per cent of the premium laptop market (number two, behind Apple) according to GfK.

NVIDIA says that its NVIDIA SHIELD is the most powerful smart TV platform ever built, delivering amazing entertainment experiences and apps to the living room. Based on Android TV and powered by Tegra X1, it provides streaming performance with full 4K 60FPS support.

Samsung has a long history of creating breakthrough mobile devices, from the world’s ﬁrst CDMA phone in 1996 right through to the present day. In 2015 it launched the Samsung Galaxy S6/ S6 edge smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch.

Schenker Technologies, with its successful XMG brand, is a leading producer of highperformance and individually conﬁgurable laptops. The devices are characterised mainly by the seamless integration of the latest and most powerful components and parts.

TERRA UK has a very wide range of notebooks and tablets. During 2015 it sold two and a half times more devices into the UK compared to 2014, proving its quality and service oriented approach is paying off. It builds on the success of its parent company Wortmann AG in Germany.

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PCR AWARDS 2016

Frontline Category Partner

NETWORKING VENDOR SYSTEM BUILDER Any ﬁrm that produces networking hardware, including NAS drives and routers

PCR AWARDS 2016

DELL

NETGEAR

QSAN

UK networking channel sales now account for 54 per cent of Dell networking sales – an increase on 37 per cent in the last year. In 2015, Dell’s top 15 networking partners collectively saw a 52 per cent rise in revenue. Dell has consolidated its position as the number three networking vendor in the UK. In 2015, Dell launched the X-Series, a portfolio of SMB smart web managed switches.

Global networking company NETGEAR delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. Built on proven technologies such as wireless (WiFi and LTE), Ethernet and powerline, the company’s focus is on reliability and ease-of-use. Its devices enable networking, broadband access and network connectivity in the ofﬁce and at home.

QSAN has been operating in the UK for the last eight years; It aims to innovate and stand out from the crowd. QSAN brought an affordable dual controller SAN system to market, directly competing with tier one vendors. Since then it has grown its portfolio to include NAS and more. This year it will open its ﬁrst dedicated support centre in the UK to cover its Europe an business.

SYNOLOGY

TP-LINK

Synology had a very busy 2015. It bolstered its range of NAS units with the likes of the DiskStation DS416, DS216play and DS216se. It also announced it is entering into a new market with the addition of its RT1900ac router, featuring a USB 3.0 port, as well as an SD card slot. It also announced its biggest ever NAS – the RackStation RS18016xs+, which can store over a petabyte of data.

For 14 consecutive quarters, IDC has ranked TP-LINK the world’s number one networking vendor, a position mirrored in the UK by Context data. TP-LINK has maintained impressive growth over 2014. In Q3 2015, TP-LINK gained 42.9 per cent of global WLAN market share, 33.42 per cent over the nearest competitor. TP-LINK UK has maintained its 20 per cent year-on-year growth. 37

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SERVICE & SUPPORT Any vendor that has an outstanding level of customer service

ASUS

BULLGUARD

DELL

LOGICNOW

ASUS takes its name from Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology that symbolizes wisdom and knowledge. ASUS says it embodies the strength, purity and adventurous spirit of this fantastic creature, and soars to new heights with each new product it creates.

BullGuard recognises the many independents and the consumer side of the market with a more personable approach. BullGuard has a dedicated support team available 24/7 to both end users and partners in eight languages. 84 per cent of partners and end users rate the service ‘Good to Excellent’. Channel sales also grew 15 per cent year-on-year.

Dell’s innovative approach has been universally praised; the firm took home over 50 awards at CES 2015. Several big name partners have joined PartnerDirect in the last year. The number of partners with Dell Networking certifications increased from 17 to 37. And in the last 12 months, Dell has doubled the number of partners earning in excess of six figure networking revenues.

LogicNow’s MAXfocus platform is the world’s most popular and successful Managed Service Provider platform, with over 10,000 monthly subscription customers, and growing. MAXfocus also offers a huge range of business assets and educational content to help MSPs deﬁne, position and market their services.

GRAND PRIX The Grand Prix award is the most prestigious accolade of the evening. It honours a company or brand that has had an outstanding past 12 months with an exceptional contribution to the channel, and is chosen by the PCR editorial team.

TERRA TERRA UK has invested lots of time and money into a UK service centre, offering a high standard of reseller oriented service. In addition, its warranty and service options and sell-up value is extremely high for its resellers. TERRA UK drives customer value and partnerships through close relationships and providing efﬁcient account management. www.pcr-online.biz

Last year’s Grand Prix winner was Intel, which had a record year in 2014, reporting full-year revenue of almost $56 billion and a rise in overall proﬁt to boot, along with a 19 per cent increase in revenue for the growing Internet of Things market.

PCR AWARDS 2016