Following record growth sales, Westcon-Comstor looks to elevate vendor partnerships and portfolio in APAC

“Growth is a priority in APAC as we look to elevate our vendor partnerships, expand our portfolios, and explore opportunities around secure cloud and other new technologies,” says Patrick Aronson, Executive Vice President, APAC and Chief Marketing Officer at Westcon-Comstor.

Westcon-Comstor announced record annual gross sales of US$5.24 billion, representing a 3.3% year-on-year increase. The global technology provider and specialist distributor also witnessed gross profit jump 9.4% to US$441 million.

Contributing to these figures is Weston-Comstor’s strong and consistent growth in profitability in three operating regions - Europe, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Taking a deeper look into the breakdown of saes, the cybersecurity sector saw a 19.3% increase year-on-year in gross sales, accounting for more than half (51%) of Westcon-Comstor’s gross sales in FY25. Increased collaboration with cybersecurity vendors and the success of the distributor’s value-added offerings for partners and vendors, spanning data, enablement and education contributed to the growth.

This was followed by sales in software and hardware. While software sales increased 22.2% to $2.33bn (FY24: $1.91bn), hardware sales only accounted for just a third (32%) of gross sales as Westcon-Comstor accelerates its transition away from traditional hardware towards recurring revenues based on annual subscriptions and cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) models.

With the distributor deepening relationships with its core vendors, David Grant, CEO at Westcon-Comstor said distribution is evolving and Westcon-Comstor is proud to be at the forefront of this change, enabling partners and vendors to grow through its suite of value-added services and market-leading programs.

Westcon-Comstor’s group of nine vendors accounted for 80% of gross sales during the year at $4.20bn, with year-on-year growth of 4.9% outstripping overall gross sales growth.

“In a changing world, we are proud to be a future-ready business that combines best-in-class data and digital platforms with deep relationships, leading market shifts and anticipating change to empower our partners and vendors to stay ahead of the curve. I’d like to pay tribute to our 3,700-plus employees around the world for their dedication and creativity. Without our people and the ambitious culture, they embody, results like this wouldn’t be possible,” said Grant.

Focus on APAC

For Patrick Aronson, Executive Vice President, APAC and Chief Marketing Officer at Westcon-Comstor, the strong growth in APAC in the last year reflects their commitment to local expertise, agility, and a future-focused mindset.

“I am incredibly proud of our teams within the region whose drive and perseverance continue to set us apart. It’s encouraging to see that we are continuing to deliver exceptional value by aligning closely with our partners’ evolving needs and I look forward to seeing what the next year will bring,” said Aronson.

Aronson also explained that with the ongoing focus on digital transformation from organizations and businesses of all sizes, they're optimistic about growth throughout the entire APAC region, particularly in the fields of its expertise - cloud, cybersecurity, and networking. Additionally, Aronson also said that AI is driving further growth and investment in infrastructure and cyber security, creating numerous opportunities to help our partners grow across all markets.

“With our new future-ready objectives, we have set ambitious goals from FY25-FY27 with market expansion opportunities in mind. As part of this, growth is a priority in APAC as we look to elevate our vendor partnerships, expand our portfolios, and explore opportunities around secure cloud and other new technologies. Together with our Responsible Business goals such as maintaining our Great Place to Work certification and improving on our business sustainability rating, I look forward to seeing where the next two years will bring us,” said Aronson.

When asked if how the distributor is managing the tariff situation in the region, Aronson said that given that things are moving rapidly and with the situation continuously changing, they’re maintaining close communication with both vendors and channel partners worldwide, focusing on transparent and open dialogue to minimize any negative impacts.

“As a value added distribution partner operating in over 150 countries, we believe that we can play a pivotal role in guiding our partners and vendors through these changes, leveraging our global reach and expertise to support them across the technology supply chain and helping them avoid disruptions and ensure they remain compliant and profitable,” concluded Aronson.