Peripherals distributor expands to NZ

Peripherals distributor Anyware Computer Accessories has opened its first overseas warehouse, expanding into New Zealand on the back of 25 percent growth.

The six-year-old Melbourne company -- which has five sites in Australia -- formally began operations at its Henderson Place office and warehouse in the Auckland suburb of Penrose just after Christmas.

Garrison Huang, MD at Anyware, said the distributor had seen about 25 percent growth by revenue in the past year and felt it was the right time for a move across the Tasman.

He said two staff had been employed in the Auckland office but support was still being provided from Australia.

Auckland was chosen, despite its position near the northern tip of the archipelago, since it was the main population centre and had a strong business community, he said.

'The way we think of our offices and distribution channels in Australia, it's kind of natural for us to expand into NZ. We have five distribution sites already in Australia, so we asked ourselves what were the next expansion possibilities,' he said.

Huang said Anyware was seeking NZ-based suppliers and resellers to add to its stable of products and relationships but would focus on offering niche peripherals that other distributors tended to ignore.

This approach had proved successful in Australia and there was no reason it should not similarly succeed in the NZ market, he said.

'So far, the response we have seen has been quite positive already. There are a lot of products we represent in Australia not represented there -- although of course there are some,' Huang said.

The NZ catalogue already had 120 pages -- the same as the Australian catalogue, he said.

Huang said Anyware's modding products in particular, that were very niche, had only been available in a very limited way in NZ.

'I don't think NZ wholesalers focus as much on that as we do, so I think we will do well there,' he said.

SiteCom wireless products may also prove especially popular. 'They have not had any opening whatsoever,' Huang said.

KVM switches -- very popular in the US -- had also been relatively minor players in the NZ market.

'With our range we will be able to have some sort of strength,' Huang said. 'We'll be offering something new and different. We do have competitors there, but we think our range is more than our competitors' and hope we'll do a better job.'