Revenue: £1.126bn (-13%)
Staff: 1,687
Running the UK&I arm of the world’s largest reseller is a “privilege”, Penny Williams told IT Channel Oxygen in October as she replaced JD Hupp in the hotseat amid a wider local management shake-up.
Boasting UK offices in London, Manchester and Peterborough, CDW’s UK presence dates back to its 2014 “slow-motion” acquisition of Kelway.
Just like the wider global business (which saw net sales tumble 10% to $21.4bn), its performance went backwards in calendar 2023. Local accounts show turnover dipping 13% to £1.126bn and net profits shrinking from £59.4m to £52.2m amid “a more challenging trading environment”.
Partly reflecting efforts to avoid a “race to the bottom”, NASDAQ-listed CDW’s top line has continued to shrink in 2024 – with Q3 net sales down 3.5% to $5.5bn. Its combined UK and Canada business topped expectations by growing net sales 4.8% to $640m during the quarter, however.
Oxygen ice-breaker
CDW’s recent UK management rejig also saw UK CFO Malcolm Pope and UK CTO Carl Lawton exit the business.
