Global Technology Distribution Council Reveals Growth Drivers and Trends Redefining the Tech Market

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

U.S. and European markets for technology solutions are undergoing sea changes amidst rising sales, according to the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), a consortium of IT supply-chain leaders that supports the aggregation of sales data from members representing more than $100 billion in worldwide revenue. The GTDC announced that the industry’s recovery is picking up speed, with year-over-year monthly growth recently attained in both the U.S. and Europe for the first time since the downturn began in Sept. 2008. The findings are based on sales of GTDC members across all product lines and reported down to the SKU level in comprehensive databases made available by third-party market research firms, The NPD Group in the U.S. and Context in Europe. In addition to tracking revenue, both databases capture deep trend data such as average selling prices by segment.

“The IT industry downturn occurred first in the U.S., followed by Europe approximately three months later, in December 2008,” commented GTDC CEO Tim Curran. “Not all regions and countries are recovering at the same rate, of course, but we’re now seeing signs of greater alignment between the U.S. and Europe. Each region went from a period of steep decline over the past year to greater stabilization in the fourth quarter. Less severe year-over-year declines in that period transitioned into year-over-year growth rates, which have continued into the first quarter of 2010. It’s good to see these figures back in the black again. Now it’s time to reveal what’s fueling the recovery.”

NYC Media Event to Delve into the Details

The media will gain a complete view of the pace and breadth of the IT industry recovery – as well as the products, companies and categories leading the turnaround – at the GTDC CEO Insight event in New York City, May 4, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the Millennium Broadway Hotel (145 West 44th Street). Attending reporters and editors will have the opportunity to speak one on one with up to nine CEOs from the world’s leading IT distributors.

“These top industry executives know the pulse on the front lines of the IT marketplace across all geographic regions,” Curran pointed out. “Their companies distribute thousands of IT products to all the channels serving small and midsize businesses in addition to large enterprises worldwide.” While IT manufacturers and software developers naturally focus on their respective products and services, Curran emphasizes that media attendees of the GTDC CEO Insight event will come away with a much more balanced sense of what’s going on in key industry categories and geographies.

Curran added, “There are plenty of interesting angles with respect to growth drivers, the overall industry direction and the increasingly central role of distributors. Not long ago, for example, it was common to hear talk about the direct model taking over. Now the talk is about how even former direct manufacturers are leveraging distributors and their role in the new Cloud computing environment.”

Media interested in attending the GTDC CEO Insight event are encouraged to register in advance, or contact Lynette Bohanan at 813-727-0196 for additional information.

About The Global Technology Distribution Council

The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) is a worldwide industry association dedicated to defining and promoting the role of wholesale distribution in a successful and healthy information technology channel. The Council is comprised of the computer industry’s top wholesale distributors dedicated to serving “the channel,” a network of skilled value-added resellers and retail stores focused on providing hardware, software, and services to businesses and consumers around the globe. GTDC members include AB. S.A ABPL, ABC Data, Actebis, Also, Arrow Electronics ARW, Avnet AVT, Bell Microproducts BELM, Computer Gross Italia, DCC SerCom, D&H, Esprinet, Ingram Micro IM, Intcomex, Magirus AG, Redington (BSE: REDI), ScanSource SCSC, Synnex SNX, Tech Data TECD, 20:20 Mobile, SiS Technologies, Westcoast LTD and Westcon.