HARDWARE REALTIME COMPANY PROFILE >>> Real Keeping it
Having started as a component distributor back in 1994, Realtime Distribution has grown to be one of the leading players in the UK market for specialist games hardware. Andrew Wooden discusses the history of the firm with founder and MD Mark Reed….
How did Realtime Distribution start out in business? The business was established in September 1989, but in truth this was as Component Resources. I started Realtime when I was 18 in 1994. While the two companies operated separately they shared a warehouse and much of the staff. In 2001 the two businesses merged as one and retained the Realtime brand, as that was the strongest at the time. In 2003 I purchased the whole business.
How has the company evolved over the years?
In the early nineties it was established as a focused distributor, but back then it was on 486 motherboards, SIMM memory and we were getting into this exciting new market called multimedia – speakers and video on your PC, to you and I. As time went on we became focused
and strong with brands such as Matrox, 3DFX, QDI motherboards and ATI graphics, and we were Europe’s top distributor for IBM 686 processors. For the past 20 years many of the customers have stayed the same, but we do see that starting to change now with more traditional retailers looking to Realtime for products. In the early nineties there was far
more of a trading mentality and price was paramount, especially due to the
www.pcr-online.biz
high ASP of products. While today price is still the most important factor, service is being valued more than it ever has. For this reason companies like Realtime are able to increase business on the strengths of this. That service could be delivery or RMA, but it certainly starts with good, knowledgeable account management.
What would you say is the most successful area of your business? Realtime has steered clear of products that are over- commoditised, and for the past eight years we have focused on enthusiast quality products. This started with brands such as ATI, Corsair and 3DFX but over time we’ve added BFG, Sapphire and in the past three years Sennheiser, Razer, Creative and Activision-Blizzard. This strategy has
developed from enthusiast products for PC to those specifically for PC gamers, and we’re leading into adding consoles to that master plan. This has resulted in a solid business and dominance in our areas of focus.
Mark Reed says Realtime is beginning to add consoles into its business strategy
November PCR 63
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