Despec Mera Ltd

Tel: +971 4 881 1191
Website: www.despec.ae
Headcount: 100
Active accounts: 330
Regional offices: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia.
Key brands: HP, Imation, Canon, Samsung, Symantec, Lexmark, AData, Wacom.
Ownership: Privately owned.
2011 sales: $161m
2010 sales: $163m

What were the company’s milestones in 2011?

In a challenging market for distributors, we were able to receive accolades from Imation for our outstanding support to partners. In addition, the company was recognised at the Choice Awards for ‘Best Initiative by a Distributor’ in emerging markets.

What are your strategic plans for the rest of 2012?

Although the Middle East region remains pivotal to our business, we will be strengthening our operations in new untapped markets in Africa because we are witnessing good growth rates on the African continent.

What is the most pressing distribution issue?

The distribution challenges depend on the region and market dynamics. In KSA for example, payment cycles are much longer and that can put strain on cash flow.

Has the Middle East distribution sector recovered from the downturn?

There is no doubt that the last three years have been tight for business in general. Despec was not heavily affected as it had started to cultivate the African prospects way before.

Verdict: Although Despec has shown a slight decline in sales revenues this year, it has its eyes on developing the channel by focusing on in-country presence in the Middle East and Africa. The distributor has started to sign strategic alliances with hardware vendors for its Africa operations all in an effort to get IT entrenched in people’s lives.