The years 2007 - 2008

2008

Actebis Peacock’s March trip to Hanover for CeBIT, the world’s largest computer trade fair, was an unqualified success. Even better was to come at the ICT trade show Channel Trends in Bochum’s Jahrhunderthalle. Actebis Peacock played host to 100 manufacturers, and 2,500 visitors took up the invitation to attend the event. NT plus also showcased its telecommunications expertise for the first time. The event set new standards in the industry. Actebis also unveiled its new corporate design in Bochum – the entire Group now has a green colour scheme. In September, all Actebis companies simultaneously switched from SAP’s R3 to ERP 6.0 and all went smoothly. As a result, customers can now benefit from new services and quicker processing of orders. In the middle of the year, the financial crisis in the U.S. crossed the Atlantic to Europe and turned into a full-blown global economic crisis. ARQUES did not pursue the option of listing Actebis on the Stock Exchange but did continue looking for investors. The ICT market environment became more difficult. Market consolidation continued to pick up pace and prices fell significantly. The North European Actebis companies were particularly hard hit by the turbulence on the financial markets but succeeded in maintaining their market leadership. Actebis Austria also retained its position as the country’s second largest distributor. Despite the telecommunications slump, NT plus outpaced the market. Thanks to streamlined processes and structures, the Actebis Group kept its costs in check and ended the turbulent year with figures slightly up on the previous year and a positive result.

Turnover 3.66 billion Euros (pro forma). Number of employees 1,800

2007

A successful and an exciting year – all in one! The Otto Group in Hamburg is withdrawing from the wholesale sector and sold the eastern European Actebis companies (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia) to the Polish-based investment company MCI in May. The western and northern European Actebis companies are being taken over in full by Starnberg-based private equity company ARQUES Industries AG. The end of the year brought growth for the Actebis Group, thanks to the specialist telecoms wholesale group NT plus based in Osnabrück. Together, Actebis Peacock and NT plus in Germany offer a huge range of ICT products. With seven Actebis companies in Europe and NT plus, the Group can look back on a good year. Actebis France is celebrating the opening of a new office building and logistics centre near Paris. Actebis Austria has been declared “Distributor of the Year 2007” and Actebis Denmark “Hewlett Packard Distributor of the Year 2007”, while Actebis Peacock in Germany has won a string of awards from manufacturers and trade magazines alike. All in all, the Actebis Group has achieved above-average sales growth and has strengthened its position as the third-largest distributor in Europe.

Turnover: 3.6 billion Euros (pro forma). Number of employees 1,700