CDW Invests in UK-based Solution Provider, Posts Triple-Digit Q3 Net Income Spike

CDW (CDW) has acquired a 35 percent stake in Kelway, a 24-year-old, $800 million U.K.-based IT solution provider it’s done business with for about 18 months, in a transaction the Vernon Hill, Illinois-headquartered reseller described as a “strategic tuck-in acquisition.”

Details of the deal weren’t disclosed by either party other than Kelway’s disclosure that the transaction was backed by bankers Barclays and HSBC. Kelway founder and chief executive Phil Doye and managing director Dan Laws remain the majority shareholders in the business.

CDW said the investment will strengthen its ability to sell IT solutions to U.S.-based multinational customers, leveraging Kelway’s customer relationships and existing business in about 130 countries.

“Our investment in Kelway is a natural extension of our long history of ‘following the customer,’” said Thomas Richards, CDW chief executive and chairman. “For more than a year, Kelway has been a strategic partner, helping support our customers’ growing international business needs. The investment we are announcing today solidifies our partnership with Kelway and strengthens our ability to provide a more comprehensive solution to customers.”

Kelway maintains supplier relationships with Cisco Systems (CSCO), Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), EMC (EMC), Microsoft (MSFT) and NetApp (NTAP). The company touts its data center infrastructure business and has built its own cloud computing platform called ServiceWorks.

The CDW deal coincided with a buyout of Kelway shares held by Core Capital.

Under its new structure, Kelway and CDW plan to integrate more tightly to extend the global supply chain services they provide to customers in Europe and North America, officials said. Kelway’s $800 million in sales for 2014/15 amounted to a 49 percent year-over-year growth.

Doye said Kelway’s designs on reaching some $1.5 billion in sales are more achievable with CDW’s backing.

“Having worked with CDW for over 18 months on joint client opportunities, this investment feels like a natural next step in our partnership,” he said.

Separately, CDW said it recorded $3.27 billion in sales in Q3 2014, a 14 percent year-over-year increase from the $2.86 billion the company posted the same time last year. Net income for the period was $55.6 million versus a $2.2 million net loss last year.

CDW attributed the increase in its sales totals to a 10.7 percent jump in its corporate business during the period to $1.6 billion, an 18 percent bump in public segment sales to $1.5 billion—particularly in education, government agencies and healthcare organizations—and a 13.5 percent rise in its Advanced Services business to $174 million, including customized engineering and data center services.

“In today’s competitive marketplace, our balance—across customers, products and technologies—and focus on execution will continue to serve us well,” said Richards.