More consolidation in computer industry

A large national player in the computer reseller industry has emerged from the merger of two entrepreneurial state-based companies.

Twenty-year-old Perth-based ComputerCorp, which did a backdoor listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2006, has finalised an agreement to merge with Melbourne-based Leading Solutions.

Leading Solutions started in 1990 as an exclusive HP reseller and grew through acquisition and organic growth to expand into Sydney and Brisbane.

The merged entity, called Leading Solutions, will be headed by entrepreneur Frank Colli.

The combined entity will have 430 staff and is expected to generate revenue of $300 million in its first year. ComputerCorp’s current chairman Domenic Martino will continue in this role.

The company plans further acquisitions. “Growing organically isn’t fast enough for us to take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace, which is experiencing continuous consolidation,” says Colli.

Tomorrow on Entrepreneur Online: Find out how Domenic Martino quit accounting to become an entrepreneur and took ComputerCorp from revenue of $50 million to almost $150 million in just a few years.