The sale of DCC Technology’s remaining business is “12-18 months away”, its CEO has revealed as he hailed its renewed focus following the sale of Exertis IT.
DCC Technology earlier this month agreed the sale of its £2bn-revenue, UK & Ireland-focused IT distribution brand, Exertis IT, to private equity house AURELIUS.
But that still leaves it with a £2.7bn-revenue distribution business focused on ‘Pro Tech’ and ‘Life Tech’ solutions such as pro-AV, pro-audio and enterprise storage.
“12 to 18 months away”
Although FTSE 100 parent DCC last November resolved to refocus on its energy business, it is in no immediate rush to offload what remains of DCC Technology, the division’s CEO Clive Fitzharris said.
“It’s 12 to 18 months away, so it’s not something that’s imminent. There won’t be any near-term announcements associated with it,” Fitzharris told IT Channel Oxygen.
“An important step in the preparation was tidying up the portfolio and doing the transaction with AURELIUS,” Fitzharris said.
“But we’re also doing a bit of work both in North America and Europe creating a more integrated platform in both those regions.
“That work will continue over the next 12 months, and then we’ll bring the overall business to market some time in 2026.”
“Higher-margin business”
Fitzharris characterised the Exertis IT deal as a “big milestone” for DCC Technology following its decision to focus on its higher-margin, more solutions-oriented Pro Tech portfolio three years ago after he was made CEO.
The sale marks DCC Technology’s exit from its last material Info Tech business (following recent the sale or closure of some smaller businesses – including its French consumer product business).
DCC Technology’s remaining specialist businesses comprise North American pro-audio and AV brands JAM and Almo, Exertis Enterprise (formerly Hammer) and Exertis Cloud in the UK, and specialist AV and infrastructure businesses in Europe.
“We’re the largest pro-AV distributor globally and the largest pro-audio distributor, and have a number of other leadership positions in various markets,” Fitzharris explained.
These remaining businesses generate the “vast majority” of DCC Technology’s adjusted operating profits, which stood at £82m its fiscal 2025, Fitzharris indicated.
“In defining the focus around professional technologies, we sell much higher value-add, much higher-margin profile [technology], with much better growth prospects than we were experiencing in the more traditional IT/consumer electronics side of our business,” he said.
“That’s not to say [the Info Tech businesses] aren’t good businesses.
“But from a divisional perspective, we wanted to put our focus on those professional technologies. There was a better owner there for our IT businesses.”
Fitzharris characterised DCC Technology’s move to include the UK AV business in the Exertis IT deal as a “pragmatic decision”.
“It has a strong overlap with the larger Exertis operation from a customer and operations perspective,” he explained.
“There may be some strategics at the table”
DCC Technology’s remaining business’ breadth and scale will make it attractive to “a range” of buyers, Fitzharris claimed.
“Private equity have participated quite a lot in technology distribution in recent years, so I’d expect there will be plenty of choice on that front,” he said.
“There may be some strategics at the table as well, but it’s too early to say.”
Talking to IT Channel Oxygen earlier this month, Exertis IT CEO Tim Griffin hailed the increased attention the business will enjoy under new owner AURELIUS.
DCC Technology will also benefit from having a sharpened focus on Pro Tech, claimed Fitzharris (who expanded on this theme in a LinkedIn post at the time of the Exertis IT sale – see above).
Having acquired Septon in the Nordics in April, DCC Technology harbours plans to make further pro-audio acquisitions even as it gears up for its sale process, he revealed.
“We’re a much more focused, specialist value-add distributor with really strong positions and big ambitions in professional technologies,” Fitzharris concluded.
Doug Woodburn is editor of IT Channel Oxygen
