Specialism: Broadliner
Key vendors: Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, HPE, Juniper, Samsung, Google and the majority of the print and supplies vendors
Revenue: £2.71bn (-1%)
Headcount: 896
The integration of Westcoast will take place “over several years”, its new Swiss owner ALSO emphasised as it closed its acquisition of its UK peer in March.
According to our numbers, the Theale-based broadliner narrowly loses top dog status in this year’s report (at least going by the UK turnover figure we can see in the latest accounts of ‘Westcoast Ltd’).
This hit £2.71bn in calendar 2024, a 1% decrease year on year, with Westcoast Ltd’s total turnover rising 6% to £3.3bn. Given all the recent rejigging on Companies House, these numbers certainly come with a hazard warning, however.
ALSO recently revealed it paid €553m for Westcoast.
On a European level, ALSO-Westcoast is by our calculations now the region’s second-largest distributor behind only TD Synnex (ALSO’s first-half revenues swelled 35% year on year to €6.87bn).
Westcoast Chief Revenue Officer Phil Bell picked out APC as his hit vendor of 2025, noting that “the focus on energy and power for the world isn’t slowing down” (see Q&A below).
“Distribution is at the centre of the channel and everyone wants in”
Quickfire Q&A with Westcoast Chief Revenue Officer Phil Bell
What’s your top priority over the next 12 months?
Our priority never changes… It is to support our vendor and reseller partners
What’s the most under-rated facet of your business?
Under rated and under valued is our agility. We bend to support our partners all the time and it starts from the goals of the partners. The more we know about the partners the more we help.
Name a vendor or technology area that’s been a hit for you in 2025
APC. The focus on energy and power for the world isn’t slowing down.
Are you expecting to grow in this calendar year?
Yes
What distribution news story most grabbed your attention in 2025?
ALSO acquiring Westcoast!!!
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?
That distribution is at the centre of the channel and everyone wants in!
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’?
Distribution is just one of the things we do. We are a support partner and an enable on many levels.
Oxygen 50 Must-Know IT Distributors and Marketplaces 2025 is Powered by Pimberly. See who else made the cut here.
