Last November, Ricoh made it abundantly clear during its annual ConvergX conference that its Ricoh Family Group dealer partners are an integral part of the manufacturer’s current business and future plans, along with its direct dealer partners. That promise is accompanied by an update in strategy for its distribution channels.
The company confirmed to ENX Magazine that beginning April 1, Ricoh will no longer sell its hardware, software and accessories through its IT distribution partners and resellers. However, the OEM will continue to foster its relationships with that segment by selling print and MFP consumables through IT distributors and resellers.
“We will also continue to service all of our products and honor all warranties with no change to service,” Ricoh shared in a statement, underscoring that the update only applies to its channel strategy and not its offerings.
ENX reached out to Ricoh after an IT and AV channel partner reseller of primarily A4 MFPs and printers (as well as interactive smartboards) contacted the magazine to say it was notified of the change by a Ricoh authorized distributor. The reseller in question is not a traditional office products dealership.
One Ricoh authorized distributor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that the OEM’s hardware business through the distributor had been decreasing in recent years, mainly as a factor of Ricoh’s channel strategy. The distributor representative added, “Ricoh’s supply business is the overwhelming majority of our Ricoh revenue today.”
