Nimans: Navigating a new era with Midwich and eyeing new markets
In its 40th year, the comms distributor is carefully balancing its new ownership with its established business model
Over two years since being acquired by distribution heavyweight Midwich, it’s business as usual for AV, UC, and cyber specialist Nimans.
The distie is looking to expand its vendor network, while still keeping a laser focus on its unified comms proposition, according to chief marketing officer Stephen McIntyre (pictured), speaking to CRN.
Now in its 40th year of business, the Manchester-headquartered company is celebrating a significant milestone. Importantly, the clock didn’t stop ticking with the Midwich buyout.
Nimans has retained its brand, operating under its own name and continuing to report independently from its parent under the steerage of MD Paul Burn.
As the company navigates this new era, one of the major projects on its horizon is the introduction of a common IT platform across the group.
“We are planning on having a common IT platform – Midwich are planning to introduce that across the whole group,” McIntyre explains.
“In terms of timing, we’re about two or three years away from it being our turn.”
This move signals a gradual but deliberate shift towards tighter integration within the Midwich Group, but as McIntyre notes, Nimans has maintained much of its operational independence.
A strategic fit with Midwich
Nimans’ integration with Midwich has been marked by a careful approach, with both companies benefiting from a symbiotic relationship.
McIntyre highlights the complementary nature of their customer bases and product portfolios, which has allowed for significant cross-selling opportunities. Nimans, strong in unified communications (UC), video conferencing, and telephony, has found common ground with Midwich, particularly in the audiovisual (AV) sector.
“We’re definitely stronger in the UC market, the video conferencing side of things, as well as PBX and hosted telephony,” he says.
“Midwich, meanwhile, are very strong in the AV integrators, especially for the education sector because there is a lot of demand there.”
This collaboration has led to cross-selling successes, with Nimans selling video conferencing solutions into Midwich customers, while Midwich’s display, and projection technologies have found a market among Nimans’ clientele.
Despite some overlap in customer bases, McIntyre confirms that any friction has been minimal, with clear agreements established to delineate supply responsibilities.
Adapting to new ownership
Ownership changes can often bring about significant operational shifts, but for Nimans, the acquisition by Midwich has been more of a natural evolution.
Nimans, formerly owned by founder Julian Niman until his passing in 2018, was later steered by financial director David Bennett before the acquisition.
The deal, which McIntyre describes as a “great fit,” allowed Nimans to continue its core business while leveraging Midwich’s strengths in AV distribution.
Consumer AV specialist Avoira, previously part of the Nicomm Group along with Nimans, remained outside the Midwich acquisition.
Avoira has since been acquired by longstanding MD Andrew Robertson, allowing Nimans to focus squarely on its B2B distribution model.
McIntyre praises the smooth transition under Midwich’s wing: “We have weekly contact with Midwich, but we have a good amount of liberty considering we’re hitting our numbers in a tough market.”
This autonomy has allowed Nimans to remain agile in responding to changing market conditions, while benefiting from the backing of a larger group.
As Nimans looks to the future, the distie is setting its sights on adjacent markets that align with its core capabilities.
According to McIntyre, the security market, identified as a growth area four years ago, has been a key focus and is now building momentum for the business.
“We’re always looking for new vendors, sectors, and products to move into. This includes adjacent markets,” he states.
“Four years ago, we realised the security market was a growth opportunity for us and that’s a business that’s building for us now.”
Another area of interest is software, particularly as telephony continues to evolve.
Nimans is keeping a close watch on developments in the sector, and McIntyre hints that software could soon play a larger role in the company’s portfolio.
Despite this forward-looking approach, he emphasises that Nimans has no intention of becoming a broadliner, preferring to remain focused on markets where it has proven expertise.
“We are not looking to become a broadliner,” McIntyre confirms.
“We are looking at things that other distributors do that we don’t, but still staying adjacent to our core capabilities.”