Computacenter swaps Germany for France and UK

Britain's biggest reseller Computacenter has bought the French and British operations of GE Capital. In exchange GE Capital, gets Computacenter's German operations.

Computacenter paid £1.4m for GE Capital UK, £700 000 for GE Capital France, while GE Capital snapped up Computacenter Germany for just £177 000.

Mike Norris, CEO of Computacenter, told silicon.com: "This strengthens our number one slot in the UK and probably makes us number one in France.

"In terms of headcount this adds 250 people in the UK and 350 more in France. It adds significant services business in the UK - equivalent to a year's organic growth. France isn't quite that good - more of the business is products."

GE Capital and Computacenter will continue to work together - a strategy they call the Alliance.

This will allow them to look after each other's customers in different territories and work together to get better deals from suppliers. Norris would not be drawn as to how territory will be divided between the two.

Computacenter will take a £9m charge for the closure of its German office.