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Simms Appoints Marlene Gant as Retail Director

Announcement posted by Simms International 14 Feb 2008

Proven Performer Joins Simms to Drive Retail Growth

Simms International Secures Marlene Gant as Retail Director

 

Specialist supplier of premium IT products and services, Simms International has appointed retail distribution expert, Marlene Gant, as its new Retail Director with responsibility for an expanded Retail Division.

 

Ms Gant, who is highly respected in the Australian ICT retail channel after working in senior management roles for Tech Pacific and Ingram Micro for the last 10 years, will join Simms on Wednesday 20 February 2008. Previously Director, Consumer Channel at Ingram Micro, which she grew into the largest retail distributor in Australia, Ms Gant has a proven track record for outstanding leadership, driving business growth and profitability.

 

Managing Director, Danny Moore, said Simms will benefit enormously from Marlene’s extensive experience, passion, professionalism and relationship management skills.

 

“We are delighted to have attracted someone of Marlene’s calibre to head up our retail operation and really drive our vision to revolutionise the way the retail channel is supported in Australia,” he said.  “Her decision to join Simms is a tremendous endorsement of our strength and positioning within the market, and our potential for future growth.”

 

Ms Gant is making a long-term commitment to Simms.  She will become a shareholder of the company and will take a seat on the Board later this year.  Mr Moore said Marlene shares his vision to deliver deep value for vendors and retail partners by applying innovative systems and processes to boost sales while minimising risk.

 

Building on Our Strengths

“At Simms, we’ve always been committed to making ourselves an integral part of our vendors’ and customers’ business, helping them grow by investing in outstanding systems, service and support.  With Marlene’s expert guidance, we plan to take our service capabilities to the next level, building further on the strong retail presence we achieved as a result of our acquisition of K H Distribution back in 2006 and expanding our presence in other strategic markets.

 

“We will continue our absolute focus on a narrow set of vendors who are the global leaders in their market niche and for whom we are their major distribution partner in this region, including high profile brands like Apple, Kingston, Bose, Elgato and FileMaker,” he said.

  

Ms Gant is enthusiastic about the potential for Simms to set new standards in retail distribution by applying innovative systems and processes to add value for both vendors and retailers.

 

“Simms is already the leading IT distributor in the Apple market, supporting a select group of best-of-breed vendors with unsurpassed distribution and retail management services.  I’ve been aware for some time that Australian retailers are looking for partners who are willing to make a meaningful contribution to their business by delivering not only cost-effective supply chain solutions and processes, but also initiatives that maximise sell through and minimise risk for both vendors and retailers.

 

“There is a tremendous opportunity to engage with the retail channel in a new way and Simms has the vision, commitment and strategic vendor relationships to really capitalise on this demand shift and to be the first to deliver what the market needs,” Ms Gant said.

 

Kate Calvert, who has been instrumental in growing Simms’ retail business to its current size, moves into the position of National Sales Manager, Retail and will be working alongside Marlene to implement the new strategies.

 

ENDS

 

About Simms International

Simms International is a specialist supplier of IT products and services to the reseller, retail, distribution and system integrator channels.  Established in 1995 in Sydney, Simms International Australia is also represented in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Simms International has been a worldwide partner of Kingston Technology since 1990, and is the manufacturer’s longest serving specialist distributor. Simms is an Authorised Apple Distributor and Gold Service Provider, and maintains strong relationships with other pre-eminent vendors. Simms’ commitment to quality is supported by its accreditation to the quality standard ISO 9001:2000. In April 2003, Simms achieved the Investor in People accreditation - the first such accreditation by an IT company in Australia. For more information visit www.simms.com.au.

 

For further information please contact:

Linda Bowe               Simms International              02 9026 3141

Shuna Boyd                           BoydPR                                  02 9418 8100