Ingram Integrates Avad Into CE Division, Closes 5 Branches

Ingram Micro purchased Avad in July 2005 but it has been running semi-independently since that time. Avad specializes in home theater, custom installation and home automation and will retain 23 branches across the country.

The new Ingram Consumer Electronics division can better leverage best practices, market expertise and common processes, according to the company. The division also includes DBL Distributing, which Ingram Micro purchased in 2007 and integrated into its existing Consumer Electronics division in January.

Avad customers will have access to products and services currently offered by DBL Distributing and the core IT distribution business while vendors will be able to expand their reach to new customer segments and capitalize on cross-sell opportunities.

John Soumbasakis, senior vice president of strategic divisions, Ingram Micro North America, will lead the unified Consumer Electronics division, with general managers of Avad and DBL reporting to him, according to Ingram Micro.

Tim Coakley, who formerly managed DBL Distributing, will lead vendor management and marketing for the overall Ingram Micro Consumer Electronics Division.

“The integration with the Ingram Micro Consumer Electronics Division will open many new possibilities for vendors and customers, who will now have access to a wide variety of products and services, such as digital signage, accessories, additional security and information technology,” said Jim Annes, Avad’s general manager, in a statement.

Ingram Micro is looking for a national sales leader for the Avad business. The five Avad branches closures are in Oregon, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida and Utah. Customers of those branches will be served by the remaining 23 branches throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“With this change, we become the distributor with the broadest consumer electronics and home automation portfolio in the United States and Canada,” said Soumbasakis in a statement.

“The Ingram Micro Consumer Electronics Division is the only distributor to bridge the gap between CE and home controls," he added in the statement. "We’re confident that our CE business is a long-term strategic differentiator and growth opportunity. Mobility, connectivity and convergence are all driving innovation and spending in the CE market, and Ingram Micro is now better positioned than ever to capitalize on those market trends.”