Acer has parted company with Ireland country manager John Roberts barely four months after he outlined plans to establish a distribution tier in Ireland and to set up channel programmes to expand its dealer base.
The vendor confirmed Roberts was no longer working for Acer and that Ireland was “being managed from the UK while we look for a replacement”. But Acer was quick to scotch suggestions that Roberts’ departure signalled a change in its plans for the Irish market: “Ireland is still very much in our plans for 2009,” the company stated. It declined to provide further details.
Speaking to Irish Computer last November, Roberts said it was important for Acer – which already does business with Midia – to develop distribution in Ireland because “Irish people like to deal with Irish people”.
Roberts had also revealed plans to introduce a range of desktops and notebooks to the channel this year as part of Acer’s plans to reach a 15% market share within three years.
Roberts claimed a target of 15% market share within three years was “not an unreasonable objective”, and argued that Acer would prove attractive to the channel because of its 100% indirect model compared to many rivals who had a hybrid direct and indirect model.
While Acer has a presence at the consumer level, its standing in the Irish market is nowhere near the vendor’s position in other European countries, reflecting the company’s comparative slowness in targeting Ireland.
The company has been the number one vendor in EMEA since 2004, but Roberts told Irish Computer in November that it was “not expecting to take the market by storm immediately.”
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers