Computacenter enjoys strong first quarter

But revenues boosted by big, one-off deal in UK

Hatfield-based Computacenter saw strong growth in 1Q FY2010

UK reseller Computacenter has drummed up sales of £616m in the first quarter of financial year 2010. The eight per cent increase on the first quarter 2009 was attributed to a single large one-off project and small cost savings.

The company explained that product sales in the UK grew by 20 per cent, but the growth was flattered by one large project, which is not ongoing.

“However, excluding this project, the underlying growth rate was still greater than 10 per cent, which has been maintained in Q2,” the company explained in its financial statement.

It added that UK services grew by three per cent in Q1 and has increased further in Q2, due to new business gains.

However, the company endured a slow start to 2010 in Germany, and while its French operation yielded an increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2009, Computacenter’s profit margins were slimmer in that market.