Nokia (NYSE:NOK) is ushering in a new era for its channel with its announcement today that it’s dropping its current UK distributors, and replacing them with a trio of new partners.
Although asked to tender, handset distributors Data Select and 20:20 Mobile have now been shelved following the six month channel review. In addition, Nokia has added a third distributor focusing on the IT B2B space.
Nokia has chosen Micro-P as its distributor within the consumer and business telecom dealer channel, Ingram Micro (UK) will look after the vendor’s business IT reseller channel, focusing on driving growth for Nokia’s smartphone solutions “with mobility enablement of cloud and enterprise solutions”, while Kondor will become Nokia’s first franchise accessories distributor in Europe.
Also as part of the house clean, the firm has launched the Nokia UK Partner Network to provide product training, device seeding, sales support and care to telecom dealers, IT resellers and independent retail store customers.
It’s been reported that the restructure comes as the launch of the vendor’s Windows Phone devices grows closer.
“We are delighted to be bringing on-board new partners with the capabilities and approach that align with our vision and strategic growth plans,” said James Kitto, Nokia UK’s head of retail & distribution (pictured) in a statement.
“The combination of this new distribution model and the launch of the Nokia UK Partner Network will help drive value for the entire ecosystem, and enable Nokia UK to deliver the best mobile phone and smartphone solutions to our customers right across the marketplace.”
