PC Retail Awards 2009 Finalists Supplement

YOUR STORE YOUR TEAM YOUR AWARDS

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YOUR STORE YOUR TEAM YOUR AWARDS PC RETAIL AWARDS 2009 | 03

CONTENTSThe lowdown on the companiesbattling it out for a PC RetailAward this year....

FRONTLINE AWARDS

High Street Independent ........................Page 5

High Street Multiple..................................Page 6

Online Retailer..........................................Page 6

Value Added Reseller..............................Page 7

Best Technical Support ............................Page 7

DISTRIBUTION AWARDS

Sales Team: Home ...................................Page 9

Sales Team: Business ..............................Page 10

Sales Innovation .....................................Page 10

Marketing & PR Team ............................Page 11

Specialist Distributor...............................Page 11

VENDOR AWARDS

Sales Team: Home .................................Page 13

Sales Team: Business ..............................Page 14

Marketing/PR Team: Home...................Page 14

Marketing/PR Team: Business ...............Page 16

Specialist Vendor ...................................Page 16

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS

Grand Prix ...............................................Page 18

Industry Achievement ...........................Page 18

AMD is delighted toonce again sponsor thePC Retail Awards.Following ourinvolvement in the eventlast year – and thesuccess of the inauguralawards – we had nohesitation in signing up

once again, this time as Platinum Sponsor.The PC Retail Awards are all about

recognising excellence in the computingand IT channel across all sectors of themarket – from the smallest retailer orreseller to the largest vendor. And at AMD,we fully believe that celebrating thevibrancy in our market is essential,particularly at a time when the mediawould often have us believe in nothingmore than doom and gloom.

As last year’s event proved, the awardsevent is not only an important means ofrecognising our market’s star performers,but the evening also creates the perfectopportunity to network with key industryplayers.

We look forward to another rewardingevening on March 19th. See you there.

Richard Baker, European Channel Marketing Director,

AMD

PC RETAIL AWARDS 2009Thursday March 19th, Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

TICKETS:£175 plus VAT per seat, £1,750 plus VAT per table

For details of ticket and table sales and arange of excellent promotional possibilities,contact [email protected]

Platinum Sponsor

Charity Partner

Gold Sponsor




FINALISTS

For sales enquiries or to

open an account with

Gem please contact our

sales team on

01279 822822.

For more information

on Gem Creative,

please contact:

Neil Handa on

01279 459072or [email protected].

For more information on

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contact Alan Lynch or

Douglas Yarker on

01282 684800 or

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Visit www.exspect.co.uk

for full product

information. For sales

enquiries please contact

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OneIntegrated Solution

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FRONTLINE SPONSORBest of luck to all the finalists

Untitled-2 1/20/09 2:55:56 PM


NOVATECHCOMPUTER STOREFounded 21 years ago,Novatech prides itself onoffering the latest ITproducts, often beingamong the first to bringproducts to market, aswell as providing greattechnical support andcustomer service. The firmis constantly expanding,with a significantpresence along the southcoast. It has become oneof the UK’s leadingsystem builders.

UTOPIA COMPUTERSUtopia received manynominations, and waspraised for its efficiency,professionalism andknowledge. A family-runfirm, the originalfounder’s son CraigHume continues toimprove the business 15years after its creation,maintaining the loyalcustomer base that hasdeveloped in that timeand seen the rise and fallof potential rival stores.

YOYOTECHWinner of last year’saward, YOYOTech hasonce again beenshortlisted for the qualityof its range and services.Since 2008, the companyhas made a number ofimprovements, includingthe addition of supportforums to sites such asDriver Heaven and theintroduction of aReserve & Collectscheme, guaranteeingonline prices in stores forits customers.

121 COMPUTERSERVICESThe largest independentcomputer retailer in EastAnglia, 121 ComputerServices boasts ofimpressive customerservice and a massiverange of products.Originally a local familybusiness, the companyhas been running for 10years, supportingconsumers and localbusinesses. It has nowsettled into a 7,000 sq ftflagship High Street store.

SHASONICTrading under the SonyCentre brand, Shasonichas outlets around thecountry and providescustomers with a qualityrange of homeentertainment productsin a compact and stylishenvironment. The retaileroften boasts earlylaunch exclusivemodels, demonstratedin-store by staff trainedby manufacturers forproduct knowledge andcustomer service.

HIGH STREET INDEPENDENT • HIGH STREET MULTIPLEONLINE RETAILER • VALUE ADDED RESELLER

BEST TECHNICAL SUPPORT

FRONTLINE FINALISTS

Frontline Category Sponsor

HIGH STREET INDEPENDENT

FRONTLINEThe Frontline Awards willonce again recogniseexcellence in customer-facing organisations, bethey on the High Street,the internet or dealingwith businesses. Thewinners of these awardswill be thoseorganisations that havebest represented the UKtechnology industry tothe outside world.

LAST YEAR’S FRONTLINE WINNERS WEREHIGH STREET INDEPENDENT YOYOTECH

HIGH STREET MULTIPLE JOHN LEWISONLINE RETAILER OVERCLOCKERS.CO.UK

VALUE ADDED RESELLER STONE COMPUTERSBEST TECHNICAL SUPPORT FORUM COMPUTERS

06 | PC RETAIL AWARDS 2009 YOUR STORE YOUR TEAM YOUR AWARDS

HIGH STREET INDEPENDENT • HIGH STREET MULTIPLEONLINE RETAILER • VALUE ADDED RESELLERBEST TECHNICAL SUPPORT

HIGH STREET MULTIPLE

ARGOSPart of the Home RetailGroup, Argos enjoyed itsfair share of successesthis year as well ascelebrating its 35thbirthday. Consumerelectronics dominatedthe business’ sales thisyear, establishing Argosas one of the top threeonline retailers in thecategory andbecoming the UK’ssecond largest retailerfor the market.

COMET2008 was literally adiamond year forComet, marking its 75thyear as a retailer. Fromhumble beginning as alocal battery service in1993, the retailer hasspread beyond theboundaries of Hull andestablished itself acrossthe nation with over 250stores throughout theUK, as well as aformidable onlinepresence.

JOHN LEWISShortlisted once moreafter emergingvictorious at last year’sawards, John Lewis hasbeen prospering from itssales of technology andconsumer electronics.Enjoying a goodChristmas during theseturbulent times, includingits best ever week oftech sales, the companystated back in April thatthe PC market has beenkey to its recent growth.

PC WORLDNo longer solely thedomain of PCs andrelated products, PCWorld continues toprovide customers withquality service and awide range of consumerelectronics, facing everychallenge anincreasingly crowdedmarket can throw at it.To remain at the forefrontof retail, PC World isphasing out analogueproducts as the digitalswitch-off approaches.

TESCOThe supermarket beganthe year well, with astrong push into the PCmarket highlighted by anew retail deal with Dell.Throughout 2008 Tesco’sfinancial reports oftenattributed growth andprofit to the electronicsand computing sectors,showing the importancethis area holds as Tescoincreases its share of thePC market.

ONLINE RETAILER

QVCUK.COMQVC’s unique positionas both an online retailerand broadcaster grantsit some obviousadvantages. Showingcustomers how productswork via livedemonstrations on TV orstreamed through theInternet, gives them ashopping experienceunlike any other, andQVC’s multiple retailchannels ensureconsumers can findwhat they want easily.

NOVATECHNovatech not only boastsan impressive onlinepresence within the UK, italso ships its products tocustomers in variouscountries throughoutEurope. The company isconstantly improving itswebsite, with last year’sadditions including thelaptop configurationsection and online orderstore collection service,allowing consumers toorder stock for collectionat their local store.

AMAZONOne of the world’sleading online retailers,Amazon continues todominate the etaillandscape, offering awide range of consumerelectronics andcomputing productsencompassing bothhardware and software.This year, the retailer’s UKbusiness saw theintroduction of an MP3music service and a new800,000 sq ft fulfilmentcentre.

PLAY.COMAnother strong player inthe online retail market,Play.com lists over sevenmillion products, includingan impressive varietyunder its electronics andcomputing categories. Asthe companyendeavours to furtherrefine its customers’shopping experience, lastyear saw the introductionof a complete redesignfor its website, improvingthe browsing process andshopping basket system.

OCUKLast year’s winner,Overclockers.co.ukremains dedicated to thecountry’s PC enthusiastsby providing quality, highperformance products.The regularly updatednews section keeps thecommunity up-to-datewith the latest hardwaredevelopments andbolsters the team’sreputation for excellentproduct knowledge anda constantly renewedproduct range.

FRONTLINE FINALISTS



VALUE ADDED RESELLER

BEAR ITBear IT provides a rangeof outsource services forsmall and medium-sizedbusinesses from varyingindustries, offeringeverything from ITinfrastructure and back-up facilities tobroadband technologyand domain names. Theonline shop currentlyfeatures 28,000products, although thisselection is constantlyexpanding.

SOFTCAT Founded in 1993, Softcatoffers its clients the bestin software licensing,hardware, security andother related IT services.The company achieveda turnover in excess of£100 million in its lastfinancial year, and hasbeen profitable since itscreation. Among its 1,500customers, Softcat catersfor small businesses, largeenterprises and publicsector organisations.

FORM ITBoth a new companyand a veteran of 25years, Form IT Solutions isthe new name of PremierComputer Supplies,which underwent a majorrebranding last year.While the branding maybe new, Form IT stillprovides the same serviceto small to mediumbusinesses, as well asdealing with retailers andcompanies within arange of industries.

STONE GROUPThe winner of last year’saward, Stone Computershas been focused largelyon expansion over thepast year, undergoing itssecond managementbuyout in three yearsand acquiring high-endlaptop manufacturerRock during the summerof 2008. This enabled thecompany to sell directlyto consumers, offeringquality business andgaming notebooks.

KEEN COMPUTERSCatering for anycompanies looking toimprove their onlinepresence, KeenComputers offers afriendly and thoroughservice by assistingcompanies in setting uptheir own websites.Everything from hostingto domain names iscovered, with all sitesand customerssupported by Keen’sown servers.


POSITIVECOMPUTINGNominated on thestrength of customertestimonials, PositiveComputing was also afinalist in this category lastyear – a testament to thecompany’s qualityservice. Offeringnumerous services to itsclients, the firm providesdata backup and filetransfer, firewall andinternet security, as wellas training on setting upand installing PC systems.

BEAR ITClients using the servicesof Bear IT are treated tothe full package. Thecompany’s in-house skillsare put to use providingcustomised solutionsdesigned to meet eachcustomer’s needs, withoffsite backup facilitiesdedicated to backingup important data. Thecompany is alsopreparing to launch an ITtraining division toimprove customerservice.

YOYOTECHPositioning itself as thecomputer andaccessories business ofchoice for the PCcommunity, YOYOTechprides itself on its friendlyand knowledgeablestaff, with nothing shortof complete customersatisfaction one of itshighest priorities. Thecompany’s website isconstantly updated toprovide customers withthe latest information.

GEEKSONWHEELSWith five years of tradingunder its belt,GeeksOnWheels proudlyclaims it has consistentlymet and oftenexceeded its customers’expectations. With themajority of its businessearned throughrecommendations anda number of customerservice awards already toits name, the companyeven attends to its clientsat home in addition toonline correspondence.

FORUM COMPUTERSWinners of last year’saward, ForumComputers is stillcommitted tosupporting its customers,covering anything fromvirus removal to wirelessnetwork setups.Founded in 2000, thecompany deals withover 100 PCs in anygiven week, promisingto solve the variety ofproblems that arise inthe best and cheapestway possible.


HIGH STREET INDEPENDENT • HIGH STREET MULTIPLEONLINE RETAILER • VALUE ADDED RESELLER


FRONTLINE FINALISTS

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SALES TEAM: HOME

INTERACTIVE IDEASInteractive Ideas’ salesteam works with retail, e-tailers, mail order and TVshopping channels tobring to market softwareand peripherals for thehome and home office.Whilst most distributorsfocus on the ‘tier 1’vendors, InteractiveIdeas has developed areputation forsuccessfully introducingand managing specialistand emergingcompanies.

VIPHeaded up by salesmanager Karen Duffy,VIP’s sales team claimsthat no one understandsthe PC componentsmarket like they do. Theteam has 18 years’experience of providinga flexible and reliableservice to its customers,ranging from smallindependent retailersand e-tailers to majorHigh Street chain.

CCICCI Distribution wasestablished in 1997 andhas since grown to beone of the leadingdistributors of IT storage,optical and multimediaproducts in the UK.Capable of fulfillingentire consignmentorders or single parceldrop-ships, CCI boasts ofbeing a company thatcan be trusted nomatter what a retailer’ssize or requirements.

CENTERPRISEFor the past 25 years,Centerprise Internationalhas been recognised asone of the largest andmost respected ITproviders in the UK. Areal British success story,CI has developed asteadfast reputation fordelivering large scale ITprojects within thecorporate, education,government and resellersectors.

GEMCelebrating its 25thanniversary this year,Gem’s strength is instocking a wide range ofretail-boxed productsfrom the largest business,creative and gamessoftware vendors in theworld. The sales team’sknowledge of this rangeis vast and they receivein-depth product trainingon a daily basis tomaximise opportunitiesfor their retail and resellerpartners.

DISTRIBUTIONDistributors are a vital cogin the technologychannel machine –linking vendors with thepeople at the frontline:retailers and resellers. Thedistribution awards aredesigned toacknowledge the hardwork put in by theseunsung heroes of thechannel. The sales andmarketing teams atdistributors are a key linkbetween vendors andretailers, without whomthe channel would grindto a halt.

LAST YEAR’S DISTRIBUTION WINNERS WERESALES TEAM: HOME VIP

SALES TEAM: BUSINESS ENTATECHSALES INNOVATION ENTATECH

MARKETING & PR TEAM XMASPECIALIST DISTRIBUTOR TARGET COMPONENTS

Distribution Category Sponsor

SALES TEAM: HOME • SALES TEAM: BUSINESSSALES INNOVATION • MARKETING AND PR TEAM

SPECIALIST DISTRIBUTOR

DISTRIBUTION FINALISTS


SALES TEAM: BUSINESS

ENTATECHEnta boasts a highlymotivated anddedicated sales team,many of whom candraw upon years ofspecialist experience.Formal internal trainingtakes place regularly,while product managersalso attend briefings withall key vendors. Entaalso provides a servicefor its customers to getto know the sales teamvia its EntaOnline ‘meetthe team’ facility.

VIPThe VIP sales team (tierone) is headed up bychannel developmentmanager Robert Parrywho believes that thecompany’s smallercustomer base in thissector allows VIP toprovide a greater focuson its partners. The teamclaims to return agrowth of 45 per cent onaverage, year-on-year,proof that its targetedapproach delivers realbusiness benefits.

REALTIMERealtime Distributionrapidly established itselfas a leading distributorfor enthusiast products inthe UK. Along the way,the company hascreated key strategicalliances with some ofthe world’s leadingmanufacturers. In 2006Realtime was acquiredby the VIP Group, buthas since been runindependently –allowing it to retain itsown corporate identity.

INGRAM MICROThe world’s largesttechnology distributorhas made a point ofretaining a personaltouch and much of thecredit for this must go toits sales team. It isconstantly looking forways in which it canhelp customers,including creatingopportunities forretailers, resellers andvendors though eventslike its Retail Expo tradeshow.

C2000C2000 is a largebroadliner, but has risento the challenge ofkeeping its servicerelevant and itsrelationships personal. Ithas invested heavily inadding value throughservices such as logisticsand prides itself onstaying on top of latestproduct developments.For all of this to beimplemented requires asales team operating atthe peak of its abilities.

SALES INNOVATION

TOTAL PDATotal PDA’s position as aleader in the field of PDAand GPS technology hasbeen recognised, withseveral high profileaccolades from the likesof The Sunday Times,Deloitte, and Ernst andYoung. Total PDA offersits customers specialist,unbiased advice fromfully-trained, staff andclaims that what sets itapart from competitorsis its reputation forcustomer service.

ENTATECHEnta’s sales team isinnovative in itsapproach, offering anextensive range ofoptions and incentivesfor both online andtelephone sales. Entaprovides direct supportand funding formarketing activities,helping resellers topresent a moreprofessional propositionand compete againstlarger competitors on amore level playing field.

INTERACTIVE IDEASInteractive Ideas lastyear purchased a stakein an Indian outsourcingcompany, giving it theopportunity to provideadditional services interms of customisingsoftware and web 2.0technology. In addition,the redevelopment of itswebsite will now includean online orderingfacility, a quote buildingarea for softwarelicensing, plus a salesand marketing resource.

GEMGem provides thechannel with a greatrange of added valueopportunities. The newidentity it unveiled lastyear demonstrated itscommitment to thechannel by offeringtailored solutions withvendors and a proactiveapproach to sales. Gemhas offers specificallydesigned for theircustomers and will alsoobtain feedback whichis passed to the vendor.

M2MSamsung Semiconductoris a key vendor partner,allowing M2M to supplyleading DRAM and FlashMemory products. Morerecently, M2M hasestablished a partnershipwith Nanya, the numberone supplier of DRAMmemory in Taiwan. M2M’sportfolio also includesportable media, harddrives, processors,motherboards, graphicscards, optical drives,cases and keyboards.


SALES TEAM: HOME • SALES TEAM: BUSINESSSALES INNOVATION • MARKETING AND PR TEAMSPECIALIST DISTRIBUTOR



MARKETING & PR TEAM

VIPThe VIP marketing teamoffers a wide range ofspecialist services, fromdesign and advertising,to PR and webmanagement. The teamcan tailor individualvendor marketingcommunications and PRcampaigns. The PRteam provides supportsuch as copywriting,press releases, mediarelations and crisismanagement.

INTERACTIVE IDEASInteractive Ideas hasexpanded its RetailGuide, with a digitalversion now available,while its new websiteoffers enhanced onlineordering, plus a salesand marketing resource.Interactive Ideas hasalso retained a PRagency and third partymarketing firms, workingwith its vendors toincrease retailer/ resellernumbers and drive end-user awareness.

INGRAM MICROIngram Micro claims thatit doesn’t see itself simplyas a supplier of productsor a suppler of services,but as a partner to bothretailers/resellers and toits vendors. With this inmind, customersatisfaction is key andthis is measured andmonitored via thecompany’s annualcustomer survey.

GEM CREATIVEGem Creative supportsGem’s core salesfunction in marketingand communication toretail partners. It alsooffers assistance tosupply partners andretail customers as asecond tier agency tocomplement their in-house facilities or thirdparty agencies, offeringa design andproduction solution.

MIDWICHOne of the first disties totake AV products to the ITchannel, Midwich hasalso won a number ofawards in the field. At thesame time, it hasextended its reach intohome entertainment,digital cameras andcamcorders, computing,displays, printing andconsumables andperipherals. It remainscommitted tomaintaining a closerelationship with resellers.


TOTAL PDATotal PDA’s position as aleader in the field of PDAand GPS technology hasbeen recognised, withseveral high profileaccolades from the likesof The Sunday Times,Deloitte, and Ernst andYoung. Total PDA offersits customers specialist,advice from fully-trained,experienced staff andclaims that what sets itapart from competitors isits unrivalled customerservice.

MIDWICHMidwich is a leadingdistributor for Brother,Fujitsu plasma, Kodak,Kyocera, Lexmark, NEC,Oki, Panasonic plasmaand projectors, Pioneercommercial andconsumer, Philips displays,Sharp, Samsung, Sanyoand Sony. But thecompany claims thatexcellent service is notjust about qualityproducts and to this endit continues to invest insystems and staff.

MERONCOURTMeroncourt wasestablished in 1997 andsince then has grownextensively both in termsof its product range andits client base. With astrong pedigree ingaming, it boasts brandssuch as Roccat, Novaand Everglide, and haslatterly branched outinto networking withSitecom and otheraccessories from thelikes of Uniross andSpeed-Link.

WIDGETWidget UK is a specialistdistributor of mobilecomputing equipment,founded in 1987 bytechnology journalistMark Needham as asupplier of third partyproducts for Psionhandheld computers. Itnow distributes afocused range ofPDA/SmartPhoneaccessories, satnav, sub-notebooks and mobilescanning units to its UKchannel partners.

TARGETBased in West Yorkshire,Target Componentsdeals directly with theworld’s leading ITmanufacturers to give itscustomers an extensiverange of quality productsand pass on economiesof scale throughcompetitive tradepricing. The company’sporfolio covershardware, peripherals,software, audio-visual,consumables, storagedevices and more.

widgetwidget


SALES TEAM: HOME • SALES TEAM: BUSINESSSALES INNOVATION • MARKETING AND PR TEAM



Good luck to all finalists!


SALES TEAM: HOME

HANNSPREEShortlisted for the 2008PC Retail Awards in thiscategory, Hannspreecontinues to fare well inthe UK, ranking amongthe top five monitorvendors after its first yearof trading. In 2008, thecompany introduced anew warranty thatexceeds the industrystandard regulations,showing its innovation inbringing its customersand clients market-leading products.

SAPPHIREThe number one partnerof ATi, Sapphire is agraphics vendor thatdesigns, manufacturesand distributes a rangeof video cards andmotherboards, itsproducts spread acrossevery price point. With asignificant portion of itsstaff being former ATiemployees, Sapphireknows its productsintricately and workswith its partner to bringnew ones to market first.

BULLGUARDOne of the fastestgrowing security brandsin the UK, Bullguard hasbecome a truecontender since its arrivalin 2003. This past year hasseen a number ofdevelopments, such as anew distributionagreement with Gemand renewedpartnerships with the PCAand Brigantia buyinggroup. Q1 2009 will seethe launch of Bullguard’snew online portal.

AVGEstablished in 1991, AVGis recognised by theworld as one of theleading distributors ofsoftware designed toprotect businesses andhomes from computersecurity threats. Havingemerged victorious fromthis category in lastyear’s PC Retail Awards,the company continuesto live up to its slogan:‘tough on threats, easyon you’.

ACERAnother finalist from the2008 event, Acer is anominee in no less thanthree categories thisyear. In 2008, thecompany launched acomplete range of newconsumer products,including the bestsellingAspire One Netbooksand Aspire GemstoneBlue notebooks. Strongsales in this sectorestablished Acer as thenumber one notebookcompany in Q3 2008.

Vendor Category Sponsor

VENDORNo technology industryawards event would becomplete withoutrewarding thecompanies who actuallymake the kit. Whileacknowledging theimportance and hardwork of retailers, resellersand distributors, the PCRetail Awards continueto reward the channel-facing arms of thevendor community.

LAST YEAR’S VENDOR WINNERS WERESALES TEAM: HOME AVG

SALES TEAM: BUSINESS LENOVOMARKETING & PR TEAM: HOME SYMANTEC

MARKETING & PR TEAM: BUSINESS AMDSPECIALIST VENDOR ANTEC

SALES TEAM: HOME • SALES TEAM: BUSINESSMARKETING/PR TEAM: HOME

MARKETING/PR TEAM: BUSINESS • SPECIALIST VENDOR

VENDOR FINALISTS


SALES TEAM: BUSINESS

ACERAcer has continued tofocus on introducing thelatest technology whilemaintaining its ownevolutionary approachto design. The companyhas held events to trainresellers to ensure theyare able to benefit fromthe technologyavailable. Last year,Acer doubled itschannel partneraccount managers,enabling better supportfor channel partners.

LENOVOHoping to secure thisaward after last year’svictory, Lenovo’songoing developmentshave seen the advent ofits New Partner Network,a broadband partnershipwith Vodafone andEricsson and a deal tosupport the VodafoneMcLaren MercedesFormula 1 team in 2009.The company evendesigned the OlympicTorch used at the 2008Beijing Olympics.

HPWith its rivals constantlygunning for its industry-leading position, HP hasworked hard to retainthe top spot among PCmanufacturers. Thecompany entered theretail sector for the firsttime in 2008 with thelaunch of its HPExperience store inSouth Africa, and hasexpanded its PartnersFor Growth initiative tooffer better support tosmall businesses.

CANONWhile Canon remainsproud of its photoheritage, the companyalso continues to showdedication tocomputing products,expanding its printer,scanner and copierranges. In October 2008,the firm was named byBusiness Week as one ofthe world’s 100companies in thepublication’s 100 BestGlobal Brands 2008study.

MITSUBISHIOperating in the UKsince 1972, electronicsvendor Mitsubishi madeits first moves into the ITsector last year. Usingthe experience gainedfrom its success in the AVand education sectors,the company is pushingits range of projectorsand displays in order toestablish its brands andproducts and familiarentities in the market.

MARKETING/PR TEAM: HOME

SYMANTECSymantec, returningchampions for this PCRetail Award, has spentmost of its effortsfocusing on the future,namely the 2009 editionsof its flagship productsNorton Internet Securityand Norton Anti-Virus.With particular emphasison assisting its partners,Symantec’s promotionsand events have helpedto keep the Norton duoat the forefront ofcomputer protection.

KASPERSKY LABAs the fastest growingsecurity software vendorin the world, Kaperskyhas established itself inthe UK as the numbertwo vendor and secondmost popular choice forInternet security. Havingadded Tesco andCarphone Warehouse toits retail portfolio in 2008,the company’s productsare now available inover 1,250 retail outletsaround the country.

TOMTOMWith marketing andpromotion a key part ofTomTom’s plans in 2008,the company hasachieved consistentstore coverage andprovided a high-qualitytraining programme forshop floor staff toimprove productknowledge. In the last 12months, TomTommanaged to visit over12,000 stores, training arecord number of over52,000 sales staff.

INTELOne of the leading andveteran chipmakers ofthe industry, Intel is onceagain shortlisted for thisaward. Continuing itsefforts to usher in newadvances in technology,2008 saw the companyexplore the possibilities ofsix-core processors andUSB 3. Intel alsostrengthened its globalpresence, making itsretail debut in China,opening the first of 16proposed stores.

NVIDIADespite being doggedby rumours it was leavingthe chipset businessduring 2008, nVidia hasretained it position as aworld leader in visualcomputing technologies,continuing to expand itsGPU offerings, launchingthe new GTX 200 series.The company alsobolstered its graphicscard ranges, such asGeForce and Quadro,which cater for alldemographics of PC user.


SALES TEAM: HOME • SALES TEAM: BUSINESSMARKETING/PR TEAM: HOMEMARKETING/PR TEAM: BUSINESS • SPECIALIST VENDOR

VENDOR FINALISTS

01-20 PCR Awards 2009_Final 18/2/09 14:01 Page 14

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MARKETING/PR TEAM: BUSINESS

COOLER MASTERCooler Master and itsmarketing/PR agencyZaboura spent most of2008 working hard todrive sales for theirchannel partners,continuing to provide thebest in chassis, powersupplies and coolingsolutions. Forging newdistribution agreementswith Realtime and A OneDistribution, CoolerMaster made asignificant push in thelatter half of the year.

ACERIn 2008, Acer set outplans to dethrone its rivalsHP and Dell in order tobecome the top PCmanufacturer by 2011.While it works towards thisambition, the companycontinues to refine itscurrent operations,including the introductionof the Connect partnerprogramme, whichenables Acer to supporteven more resellers anddrive business forchannel partners.

DELL2008 was a year ofpromise for Dell, as itpledged to focus onchannel partners andlaunched its CertifiedPartner Programme inEurope. It also celebratedthe first anniversary of itsPartnerDirectprogramme. Thecompany also promisedto become more ‘green’,taking the first steps tomaking its products moreenergy efficient and costeffective.

AMDLast year’s award winnerand this year’s sponsorAMD returns to reclaimits title. The companyremains focused on bothits customers andinnovation, launching arange of new productsthroughout 2008. AMDclosed the gap betweenitself and its closest rivalIntel, while the sale of itsdigital television chipbusiness allowed thecompany to focus on PCmicroprocessors.

MICROSOFTWhile the company hasbeen pouring time andefforts into its Xboxdivision, Microsoftcertainly hasn’tforgotten its PC-basedorigins. The latestiteration of its operatingsystem, Windows 7, is oneveryone’s lips at themoment and its ‘I’m APC’ ad campaign haskept it in the public eye,dispelling any negativeconnotations spread byApple’s own marketing.

SPECIALIST VENDOR

BILLIONBillion UK is a leadingmanufacturer of high-performance qualitymodems and routers,wireless networkingdevices and securitydevices, with productsdesigned to suit homesand businesses alike. Thecompany has releaseda number of new itemsthis year, many of whichhave been met withglowing reviews andrecommendationawards in the press.

MEDEAShortlisted for the sameaward last year, Medea isa major computerconsumables distributor,producing high qualitylaser toners and printerink and cleaningcartridges. The firm isworking with G&GNinestar to set a new‘green’ benchmark forinkjet cartridges, creatingenvironmentally friendlyproduct withoutcompromisingperformance or value.

ANTECAntec is the leadingglobal brand for high-performance computercomponents andaccessories. Thecompany provides arange of productsdesigned to meet theneeds of the gaming,PC upgrade and do-it-yourself markets.Renowned for its rangeof PC cases, Antec alsooffers power supplies,LED fans and notebookcooling solutions.

KINGSTONKingston Technology is amemory product vendorspecialising in Flash andDRAM systems, as well asother forms of photo,video and mobilememory. In 2008, thecompany signedlucrative deals with PCWorld and Staples,marking Kingston’s firstmove into retail andstrengthening its effortsto become the leadingdistributor for thememory market.

BIG REDAlso shortlisted in the2008 PC Retail Awards,Big Red continues toprovide serve appliancesto customers throughoutthe UK, largely utilising itsown bigredboxtechnology. These easyto use servers promisefeature-rich solutions, lowmaintenance, and all forthe lowest ownershipcosts. The company’scommitted supportservice adds to Big Red’svalue for its customers.


SALES TEAM: HOME • SALES TEAM: BUSINESSMARKETING/PR TEAM: HOMEMARKETING/PR TEAM: BUSINESS • SPECIALIST VENDOR

VENDOR FINALISTS

Channel Advantage, The Old Dairy, Stonor Park, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 6HFT: 01491 639 100 E: [email protected] W: www.channel-advantage.co.uk

CONGRATULATIONSAND GOOD LUCK TOALL THE FINALISTS

The UK’s Top Technology Retailing Consultancy

Providing bespoke field marketingsolutions, both strategic and tactical,

to improve sales and make yourbrand a winner at the point of sale


GRAND PRIX AWARDOne of two specialawards, nothing will berevealed about theGrand Prix until the bignight itself.

It takes an overallview, choosing thecompany considered tohave contributed mostto the marketplace overthe last 12 months, notonly in terms ofcommercial success, but

also in terms ofinnovation and energy.

The Grand Prix awardis decided upon by thePC Retail team, with thewinner coming from anyof the award categories.It means that thesmallest UK independentretailer or reseller has thesame opportunity to winas one of the world’sleading vendor brands.

INDUSTRY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDAs the name suggests,this is awarded to theindividual in the UKcomputing and ITindustry deemed tohave made anoustanding contributionto the channel over thepast year. Again, it is anaward that can be won

by the smallest HighStreet store or the largestsupplier.

Nothing is revealeduntil the evening of theawards, with the winnerchosen by the PC Retailteam and the PC RetailAwards Platinum SponsorAMD.

PC RETAIL AWARDS 09: NEED TO KNOW

Platinum Sponsor

Charity Partner

Gold Sponsor




WHEN: Thursday March 19th WHERE: The Royal Garden Hotel, KensingtonDRESS CODE: Smart casual, not black tie

COST OF TICKETS: £1,750 plus VAT for a table of ten * £175 plus VAT for individual seatsTICKET & TABLE INFORMATION: Contact [email protected]

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES: Contact [email protected]

GRAND PRIX AWARDLIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

SPECIAL AWARDS

Norton from Symantec wishes you all the best at the PC Retail Awards 2009

October 2008Norton Internet SecurityTM 2009

December 2008Norton Internet SecurityTM 2009

WWW.PCRETAILMAG.COM

PC Retail Awards 2009 Finalists Supplement

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