Ingram Micro Acquires German Distributor, Plans European Subsidiary

SANTA ANA — Ingram Micro Inc., the world’s largest computer distributor, said Tuesday that it has acquired the assets of a distributor in Germany.

Ingram Micro will create a European subsidiary called Ingram Micro GmbH near Munich with the assets of House of Computers, a German distributor owned by Grundig A.G. The price of the deal was not disclosed.

Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro said it acquired the company’s customer list, inventory, accounts receivable, fixed assets, leases and major contracts with manufacturers.

The subsidiary has 30 employees, and Ingram Micro plans to invest in the company and build its work force to about 200 employees by 1995, said John Winkelhaus, senior vice president for Ingram Micro Europe.

“Germany is the biggest market in Europe,” said Chip Lacy, chief executive. “It’s a relatively small company today, with less than $50 million in sales. But we expect it to pick up by the end of this year.”

Ingram Micro also has international operations in the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Italy. European sales were about 10% of Ingram Micro’s $2.7 billion in sales last year. Lacy said that he expects that to reach 15% to 20% this year.

Merisel Inc., Ingram’s archrival in El Segundo, has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland and a joint venture in Russia. Merisel has about 115 employees in Germany.