Specialism: Tier-two vendors
Key vendors: Ubiquiti, Zyxel, HPE Aruba, Samsung, Riello, Netally
Revenue: £71.7m (+1%)
Headcount: 79
Active reseller/MSP base: 1,150
This specialist in tier-two vendor solutions has returned to profitability this year following its acquisition by Chiltern Capital in 2023, its CEO John Hayes-Warren told us (see Q&A below).
The Birmingham-based Zyxel and Ubiquiti ally saw revenues inch up 1% to £71.7m in calendar 2024. A restructuring of the business devised during the period resulted in £1.6m of efficiencies, its accounts reveal.
In June, Intec repositioned itself as a networking and intelligent connectivity specialist in a move Hayes-Warren told IT Channel Oxygen mirrors where its resellers most require its expertise.
“Networking has bounced back strongly this year”
Quickfire Q&A with CEO John Hayes-Warren
What’s your top priority over the next 12 months?
- Build on returning the business to PBT in 2025
- Strengthen specialist skills around key vendors
- Add to the portfolio, specifically in networking and security
- Enhance the services model to add value in design, deploy and managed services
- Continue AI automation of business processes to free the team for more customer engagement
What’s the most underrated facet of your business?
Our relationships. People are our greatest asset.
Name a vendor or technology area that’s been a hit for you in 2025
Networking has bounced back strongly this year.
Are you expecting to grow in this calendar year?
Yes — top-line revenue up 10%, and more importantly, we’ve converted the business to positive EBITDA.
What distribution news story most grabbed your attention in 2025?
Exertis, but also the buy-and-build model via QBS was notable.
3 of the 4 largest companies in this report have changed ownership in the last 12 months (or are about to). What does that say about the market?
Opportunity!
How do you feel that one company featured in this report took out a full-page New York Times ad in March, blasting the term ‘distributor’?
What they did was smart marketing because it got people talking, analysing who they are, and understanding their proposition more widely. Of course, in channel terms they’re still a distributor, but I respect the desire to reframe; differentiation and challenging convention are how businesses evolve.
On a scale of 1–10, how optimistic are you about the IT distribution market right now?
10 – otherwise we wouldn’t be in it.
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