Targus signs Dicker Data as sixth distributor

Portable computing accessories vendor Targus has signed Sydney-based Dicker Data as distributor number six in Australia.

David Hollis, national sales manager for Targus, said that Dicker Data was particularly strong in smaller businesses. 'Basically, we looked at Dicker Data's success in the notebook market in particular,' he said.

Hollis said notebooks were particularly important for Targus, which sells a range of security locks, cases and other mobility-focused accessories. As the mobility market continued to expand, Targus aimed to be better placed to lift sales, he said.

TechPac, Ingram Micro, IT Wholesale, Brightpoint and Adelaide's BMS Technology are the other five distributors.

'We wanted to make sure that the supply chain was growing at the same rate as the market,' Hollis said.

Dicker Data signed the deal in January and, Hollis said, sales so far were already strong and expected to strengthen further as more resellers learnt they could source Targus gear through Dicker Data.

Targus itself had experienced growth, varying by product segment, of 20 to 30 percent in the last year. However, that growth had not appeared so strong in revenue terms because of the strength of the Australian dollar, Hollis said.

'We're seeing an explosion in demand from the consumer end of the market, as opposed to the corporate end of the market,' he said.

Targus planned no further changes to its channel in the near future, he said. The company, which began in 1988, would focus on growing sales via its current partner network, Hollis said.

Fiona Dicker, chief at Dicker Data, was away and unavailable to comment.