According to sources, Westcoast now owns as much as half of Data Select who have confirmed that the two businesses have “joined forces”.
Data Select founder Peter Jones will continue to lead the business as the two distributors continue to operate as separate entities; however the acquisition does follow the departure of Date Select CEO, Fergal Donovan.
The motivation behind the move is thought to be an attempt on Westcoast’s behalf to improve its Samsung mobile offering without going through a tender process which would have begun again in the event of a complete acquisition.
Profits for Data Select fell last year by just over 10 percent, finishing the 12 months to April 2018 on £1.7 million. Westcoast ended their respectful financial year to December 2018 with £14.5 million in profit for the year, a five percent increase YoY..
Although confirmed, details of the agreement remain undisclosed. Comms Business reached out to Westcoast but are yet to receive a comment and Data Select had no further comment.