Misco is an online retailer based in the United Kingdom. It was formerly an
IT brand whose ownership was split between Hilco Capital Limited and
Systemax.
Misco also operated in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
until their German operations were sold to CANCOM SE in July 2016.
Sales were targeted at business, education, public sector and consumer markets, with sales being made
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
, via telephone and
mail order catalogue. The Misco brand was relaunched on 1 July 2019, as part of the UK Computer Group Limited.
History
Misco was founded in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, United States, and ran a business of mail order sale of computer supplies and accessories.
Gillette invested in Misco in 1983, taking a 40% stake, as part of a program to acquire high-growth low-risk businesses. Misco launched its first subsidiaries in Europe, concurrently in the United Kingdom and West Germany in October 1985, followed by Italy in 1986.
In November 1987, Gillette sold the company to the British company
Electrocomponents plc, for the sum of £11,000,000. The effects of the beginning of the 1990s
recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
led Electrocomponents to sell Misco at a loss, in the beginning of 1993. The buyer, Global Computer Supplies, was controlled by Systemax Inc and HCS (Global) Ltd at the time..
In 2002, Global, now known as Systemax, began a program of restructuring. This would see its newly acquired Simply Computers business merge with Misco's operation in the United Kingdom in
Wellingborough
Wellingborough ( ) is a large market and commuter town in the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire in the ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, 65 miles from London and from Northampton on the north side of the River Nen ...
by February 2005. Also, logistics were established in a purpose built warehouse in
Greenock,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
.
The brick and mortar outlets founded by Simply were gradually closed down, a symptom of consumer trends moving away from the High Street and to online. Misco expanded its business from onwards of 2005, winning customer satisfaction awards from
PriceGrabber
PriceGrabber.com is a price-comparison shopping site and distributed content commerce service founded in 1999 by former CEOs Kamran Pourzanjani and Tamim Mourad. The company partners with merchants, retailers, and sellers to provide information o ...
, a performance award from
Hitwise
Hitwise is a division of Connexity, that measures behavior across desktop, tablet and smartphone devices. Hitwise provides marketers with online insights to help them understand, track and grow market share. Using Hitwise, marketers can define ...
and achieving accreditations in ISIS and IDIS.
In April 2009, Misco announced plans for hiring remote sales agents on a work from home basis. In June 2013, Systemax opened the SSC in Budapest, Hungary, to support the EMEA countries's processes. In July 2016, Systemax sold Misco Germany to CANCOM SE.
In March 2017, Systemax sold its EMEA Technology Products Group excluding its French operations to Hilco Capital Limited.
On 19 October 2017, after an unsuccessful turnaround, Misco UK entered into administration.
On 12 December 2017, Misco Sweden filed for bankruptcy. On 7 June 2019, it was announced that the UK Computer Group (since renamed The Comet Group) had purchased the Misco Brand in the United Kingdom. The management team consists of a number of ex employees of Misco, and they have stated the intention was to relaunch misco.co.uk on 1 July 2019.
External links
Misco UK official website*UK Computer Group
References
{{reflist
Companies based in Northamptonshire