Unsung heroes

An arbitrary guide to five other distributors playing a key role in the market.

1. Despec MERA Ltd

Inthehotseat: Riyaz Jamal

Remit: Middle East & Africa

Speciality: Consumables

Vendorfocus: Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark

www.despecmera.com

Background: Despec employs 35 people in its Dubai office and is one of the leading consumables specialists. The Dutch-owned firm has a long history of working with the top supplies brands in the market.

2. ITE Distribution FZCO

Inthehotseat: Jafer Jafery

Remit: Middle East & Africa

Speciality: Retail products

Vendorfocus: Belkin, Palm, Kingston, Logitech, Symantec

www.iteme.com

Background: ITE is a veteran of the MEA distribution market and boasts extensive reach into the retail channel. Last year the firm gained the rights to develop Palm Europe's Middle East business.

3. Ashley LLC

Inthehotseat: Ahmed Farahani

Remit: GCC

Speciality: Retail products

Vendorfocus: Belkin, Creative, Logitech, MSI, Netgear

www.ashleyllc.com

Background: As a supplier to the likes of Emax, DG Sharaf and Jacky's, Ashley is a distributor that knows the retail sector inside out. Now in its 20th year, Ashley also boasts an office in Kuwait.

4. SIT Distribution FZCO

Inthehotseat: Ahmed Al-Azzawi

Remit: GCC

Speciality: Mobility products

Vendorfocus: HP, i-mate, Linksys, Microsoft, Nokia

www.sourceit.ae

Background: Rebranded after SourceIT acquired Link Retail last year, SIT now boasts a comprehensive portfolio of consumer devices to augment its smartphone and Windows-enabled PDA expertise.

5. Active IT Distribution FZCO

Inthehotseat: Parvez Ahmed

Remit: GCC

Speciality: Components

Vendorfocus: Iomega, Swiss Travel, Tripp Lite, US Robotics

www.activefzco.com

Background: Since launching as a Sapphire distie last year, Active has bagged high profile contracts with vendors such as SMC and Tripp Lite. The firm employs 20 people and sales reached US$39m in 2007.