James Parker appointed to head up European operations to facilitate expansion

Midwich, a specialist audio visual and document solutions distributor to the trade market with operations in the UK and Ireland, France, Germany, Benelux, Iberia and Australasia, is pleased to announce the appointment of James Parker as Head of European Operations.

With 17 years’ distribution experience, James has a diverse background within operations and business improvement. James has previously held managerial positions including Group Logistics & Procurement Director and Purchasing & Marketing Director, while also integrating acquired businesses and delivering business improvement initiatives.

Most recently, James worked at DIY retailer Homebase Bunnings driving its operational improvement programme post the Bunnings acquisition.

James’ role as Head of European Operations will predominantly focus on pre-acquisition due diligence, post-acquisition Company integrations, and Group wide infrastructure projects. There will be a specific drive in leveraging Group strengths to deliver synergies across the European subsidiaries.  James will report to the Group’s European Director.

Speaking about his new role, James commented:

“I am excited to have joined Midwich at this key stage in the Group’s growth journey. I am very much looking forward to working with the European subsidiary teams to support their growth aspirations and help deliver synergies across the Group."

On James’s appointment, Tom Sumner, European Director, commented:

“We are delighted to welcome James into the Midwich Group. I am very confident that this appointment will provide us with additional expertise to deliver on our ambitious growth plans – especially as we continue to increase our international footprint.”

The Group recently announced its Pre-Close Trading Statement in which it reported revenue for 2017 of approximately £470 million, representing growth of around 28 per cent over the prior year. Midwich will announce its final results for the year ended 31 December 2017 on 13 March 2018.

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Media enquiries: For more information, please contact Ben Thompson on 01379 647 546 or at ben.thompson@midwich.com.

Twitter: @Midwichltd

LinkedIn: Midwich

Notes to Editors:

Midwich is a specialist audio visual (AV), professional video, audio, lighting and document solutions distributor to the trade market, with operations in the UK and Ireland, France, Germany, Iberia, Benelux and Australasia. The Group's long-standing relationships with over 300 vendors, including blue-chip organisations such as Samsung, LG, Epson and NEC, supports a comprehensive product portfolio across major AV categories such as large format displays, projectors, digital signage and printers.

The Group operates as the sole or largest in-country distributor for a number of its vendors in their respective product sets. The Directors attribute this position to the Group's technical expertise, extensive product knowledge and strong customer service offering built up over a number of years. The Group has a large and diverse base of approximately 12,000 customers, and 740+ employees.

Key components of the Group's growth strategy are expansion of its specialist business areas, alongside  further expansion of its international operations and footprint into strategically targeted jurisdictions.

For further information, please visit www.midwich.com