ALSO boosts net profits in first half

Distribution giant ALSO’s net profits hit €36.9m (US$43.3m) in the first half of the year – up 32.4% year-on-year. Pre-tax profits were up 27.6% at €51.4m (US$60.3m). With sales up 9.5% at €4.13 billion (US$4.84 billion), ALSO’s first half net profit margin reached 0.89%. Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO at ALSO Holding, said: “Our clear strategy, determined management as well as our implementation-focused employees constitute the backbone of our sustained success.” Read full story

Hammer Phones hits UK market

Hammer Phones has launched its range of high-end ruggedised smartphones in the UK, and is now looking to expand its channel reach. Hammer Phones are manufactured by MyPhone, part of the publicly traded TelForce One Group in Poland, which was established in 2001, has revenues exceeding US$100m and trades on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Hammer Phones are currently distributed by CI Distribution and Varlink in the UK. Read full story

Ingram Micro named Red Hat training reseller in UAE

Ingram Micro Training MEA, a provider of instructor-led technical training, is partnering with Red Hat as a Red Hat training reseller for the UAE. With this partnership, Ingram Micro is now authorised to resell Red Hat Training services, including open enrolment courses, on-site courses and Red Hat’s complete online delivery portfolio. Read full story

Nuheara raises funds for retail expansion

Audio device brand Nuheara has successfully completed an institutional placement raising A$9m (US$7.15m) to fund the aggressive global retail expansion of its wearable audio device, IQbuds. ASX-quoted Nuheara’s IQbuds combines the features of a hearing device, a bluetooth earpiece and a noise cancelling headset. Investors will be issued shares at A$0.092 per share, which represents a premium of 2.8% to Nuheara’s 30-day volume weighted average share price. Read full story

DISTREE Events opens ‘Call for Speakers’ for upcoming consumer tech channel events in APAC & EMEA

DISTREE Events has announced its ‘Call for Speakers’ for the next two regional consumer tech channel events in its global calendar. DISTREE Asia-Pacific (APAC) takes place at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore on 8th to 10th November 2017. The 16th annual DISTREE Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) event will take place at the luxurious Fairmont Hotel in Monaco on 6th to 9th February 2018. Read full feature

DISTREE Russia completes successful B2B and B2C tech channel event in Moscow

DISTREE Russia 2017 took place from the 21st to 23rd June in Moscow, Russia. Buyers and senior executives from more than 260 channel partners took part in thousands of pre-scheduled meetings with exhibitors. This year’s event once again spanned both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) channels. The channel delegate base comprised resellers, retailers and e-tailers from across Russia & CIS. Read full feature