TORONTO — Merisel Canada will undergo a name change within in the next six months, and Julia Carrescia couldn’t be happier.
Within a month of taking on the position of vice-president of marketing with Etobicoke, Ont.-based Canadian subsidiary of Merisel Inc., the distributor was swallowed up by Freemont, Calif.-based Synnex Information Technologies Inc.
The Merisel name for Canada was not part of the deal, she told Computer Dealer News editor Paolo Del Nibletto on the floor of Comdex Canada 2001 Thursday.
“We’re not disappointed the name is going away. We see it as a branding opportunity, and branding is everything in this industry now,” she said.
The deal will be completed within the next 60 days, said Carrescia. “We’re confident the deal will be completed much sooner.”
She said the acquisition wasn’t a surprise to anyone in the industry. “It was a tribute to Merisel that it was an acquisition target.”
For now, said Carrescia, it’s business is usual. Synnex is growing and profitable despite the economic climate, she said, and Merisel’s new parent is more than a distribution company; it also offers contract manufacturing services.
Carrescia did acknowledge that 2000 was not a great year for Merisel, but it also did all of its streamlining of operations, whereas rivals such as Tech Data and Ingram Micro recently announced job cuts. She said Merisel’s distribution business is very similar to its competitors, but the acquisition will offer the company a chance to differentiate itself.
“Instead of growing in steps, we’re going to grow in leaps,” she said. Carrescia said the acquisition will benefit resellers because will Merisel adopt Synnex’s in-house technologies and processes to save money and pass those savings on to resellers. Merisel also brings value to the table, she said. Synnex does not have a lot of software prowess in the U.S. and Merisel has a strong retail presence.
Merisel will also be able offer new product lines from vendors such as Intel, Maxtor and Seagate.