Answers to IT Europa’s questions provided by ASBIS Serbia’s country manager Aleksandar Bukumirović and sales director Ana Jovanović.

- What are the advantages of your company in the Serbian market?

The advantage of ASBIS Serbia is that we can offer our customers the complete ASBIS Group’s portfolio of over 15,000 products. We are the one-stop distributor since we carry all major brands and can source a complete range of IT/computer products.

The size of the Group allows it to achieve economies of scale because of its buying power; we have broadest product offerings in server, desktop PC and mobile PC segments in the markets in which the Group operates. 

Our 24/7 online B2B marketplace, together with some of the quickest response times between ordering and delivery, enables the Group to pass on the benefit of new prices to customers quickly. The centralised purchasing system provides the Group with greater buying power. Besides, we benefit from direct contracts with worldwide leading manufacturers.

The main challenge is to reconcile our local market with global distribution terms and conditions.

- What market trends do you follow?

We are moving the focus of our business from exclusively IT components distribution to complete solutions for customers and programmes for retail business. We have been developing very successfully our two private label brands, Canyon and Prestigio, for those purposes.

The market is also moving to retail business although it seems to be slower than in neighbouring countries.

- Do you expect other distributors to enter the market? Have there been any major changes amongst market players?

We do not expect other big international distributors to enter our market in the nearest future. Serbia is still a very unstable market, and taking into account the situation in this part of Europe, our country will not be the first choice for a new distributor to come.

In 2005, after VAT had been introduced in our market, many small companies and only one major company disappeared. After that serious market differentiation, last year there were no big changes with companies.

- What challenges do you face in the current market conditions?

Beating black and grey market is always a big challenge. We succeeded so far, after so many years of total disorder on the IT market, to move a big part of IT business to the channel, of course together with other distributors.

- How would the possible accession to the EU impact your business?

Entering the EU would change many local laws and regulations concerning customs and make the flow of goods faster and easier. Also, new unified regulations would bring more order to our market and make it compatible with all other EU members.