Despec
Despec is a privately held Nordic wholesale distributor of IT accessories, printer consumables, office supplies, and ergonomic products, serving dealers and resellers across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland under more than 90 brand agreements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersSem, Norway
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Despec does
Despec is a Nordic wholesale distributor of IT accessories, printer consumables, office supplies, and ergonomic products, operating across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland under the Despec Nordic Holding A/S umbrella, with Despec Norway AS headquartered in Sem (near Tønsberg) as the Norwegian operating entity. The business was founded in Denmark in 1992, expanded into Norway in 1994 and Sweden in 1996, and was consolidated under a single Dutch-owned Nordic holding in 2004; it now employs more than 150 people. The core offering is organised around five product categories — Rekvisita & Papir (consumables and paper), IT Produkter & Tilbehør (IT accessories), Ergonomi & Helse (ergonomics and health), Printere & Skannere (printers and scanners), and Kontorrekvisita & Kontormaskiner (office supplies and machines) — backed by more than 90 distribution agreements with brands including HP, Canon, Brother, Epson, Lexmark, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Logitech, Jabra, Leitz, Rexel, HSM, and GBC, alongside an own-brand portfolio (Despec Nordic Brands: Triumph Adler, Develop, Utax, oNEST and others). Supporting tooling includes the Ink & Toner Guide (a compatibility search covering 50,000+ printers) and the Prisume automated ink and toner delivery service co-developed with 3manager; recent additions such as Contour Active Key medical keyboards extend the assortment into healthcare. Despec's go-to-market is B2B distribution to dealers, resellers, and e-tailers via dedicated account managers, a B2B webshop with drop-shipment logistics, and webshop integrations; revenue is generated through product margin on resale of consumables, IT accessories, ergonomic equipment, printers/scanners, and office supplies, with quote-based pricing, BID pricing, credit facilities, and e-invoicing. The company is privately held, with no public listing or external funding rounds identified.
Despec firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Despec
- Legal name
- Despec Norway AS
- Website
- https://despec.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Despec is a privately held Nordic wholesale distributor of IT accessories, printer consumables, office supplies, and ergonomic products, serving dealers and resellers across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland under more than 90 brand agreements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Despec is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sem
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Despec business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product distribution and resale: Despec generates revenue by distributing IT accessories and office products to dealers and retailers across the Nordic region, acting as an intermediary between manufacturers and resellers. Revenue is derived from product margin on the sale of consumables (toner, ink, paper), IT accessories, ergonomic products, printers/scanners, and office supplies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Despec product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Despec is a Nordic wholesale distributor that sells IT accessories, office supplies, printer consumables, printers and scanners, ergonomic products, and office machines to dealers, resellers, and e-tailers across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. The company operates a B2B web shop, provides drop-shipment logistics, and offers value-added services such as Prisume automated consumables delivery, the Ink & Toner Guide search tool covering 50,000+ printers, BID pricing, credit facilities, e-invoicing, and managed print services. Despec holds more than 90 distribution agreements with brands including HP, Canon, Brother, Epson, Lexmark, Ricoh, Logitech, Jabra, Leitz, GBC, Rexel, and HSM.
Product overview
Despec is a leading Nordic distributor of IT and office products operating as a B2B e-commerce platform. The company offers five main product categories: Rekvisita & Papir (consumables including toners, inks, ribbons, labels, and paper), IT Produkter & Tilbehør (IT accessories including peripherals, cables, and gaming), Ergonomi & Helse (ergonomic solutions for workplaces), Printere & Scannere (printers, scanners, and related services), and Kontorrekvisita & Kontormaskiner (office supplies and machines). Despec distributes over 90 brands including HP, Canon, Samsung, Brother, Lexmark, Epson, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, and own Nordic brands. Key services include Prisume (automated ink/toner delivery), the Ink & Toner Guide (printer compatibility search tool covering 50,000+ printers), commercial support, logistics with drop-ship capabilities, and managed print services. The company serves dealers/resellers across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Prisume Automated ink and toner delivery service that combines Despec Nordic's distribution reach with 3manager's device management technology to optimize and automate printer management, reducing time consumption and consumables costs for dealers and their end customers.
- Ink & Toner Guide Online search tool within the Despec web shop that helps dealers and customers find the right printer consumables by searching model, EAN, and OEM numbers, covering more than 50,000 printers across multiple brands.
- Print Services Managed print services offering for dealers and their end customers covering printers, scanners, consumables, and related support, made available through the Prisume platform.
- Rekvisita & Papir (Consumables & Paper) Wholesale distribution of printer consumables including toners, ink cartridges, ribbons, labels, paper, transparencies, and 3D filaments supplied to dealers and resellers across the Nordic region.
- IT Produkter & Tilbehør (IT Products & Accessories) Wholesale distribution of IT accessories including mice, keyboards, webcams, headsets, PC monitors, bags, cables, gaming equipment, tablets, refurbished IT, audio/video, batteries, storage, smart home, UPS, projectors, and networking products.
- Ergonomi & Helse (Ergonomics & Health) Wholesale distribution of ergonomic products including ergonomic mice, keyboards, screen accessories, laptop stands, wrist rests, home office workstations, footrests, cleaning products, PPE, first aid, and air purifiers.
- Printere & Scannere (Printers & Scanners) Wholesale distribution of printers including inkjet, laser, mobile, and large format printers, plus scanners for barcodes, documents, books, and photos, label printers, POS printers, and printer care packs.
- Kontorrekvisita & Kontormaskiner (Office Supplies & Machines) Wholesale distribution of office supplies including writing blocks, pens, art supplies, archiving, packaging, labels, desk accessories, calculators, staplers, shredders, laminators, binding machines, presentation boards, and cash handling systems.
- Despec Web Shop (B2B E-commerce) B2B e-commerce platform at despec.no that enables dealers and resellers to place orders online, access product catalogs, use the Ink & Toner Guide, and integrate purchasing workflows into their operations.
- Despec Nordic Brands Despec's own portfolio of distributed brands covering multiple product categories, including Triumph Adler, Develop, Utax, oNEST, and other proprietary or aligned brands, supported by more than 90 distribution agreements.
Companies that use Despec
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Despec technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Despec partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 3manager (via Prisume)corePrisume is an automated consumables delivery service co-developed by Despec Nordic and 3manager. The service simplifies printer and consumables administration by combining Despec's distribution reach with 3manager's device management technology, enabling automated ink and toner delivery based on printer usage data.
- HPcoreHP is one of Despec's primary brand partners for printer consumables, IT accessories, and ergonomic/health products. HP is prominently featured as a top brand across multiple product categories including toners, ink, printers, and IT accessories.
- CanoncoreCanon is a key brand partner distributed through Despec across printer consumables, office products, and imaging solutions. Canon is one of the most prominently featured brands on the Despec platform.
- BrothercoreBrother is a major brand partner for printers, scanners, and printer consumables distributed by Despec. Brother has a dedicated microsite on the Despec platform.
- Safescan / TimeMotominorSafescan is a global company providing smart cash handling and workforce management tools. Despec distributes Safescan products including counterfeit detectors, money counters, cash drawers, and TimeMoto time and attendance systems in the Nordic market.
- LexmarkcoreLexmark is a key brand partner for printers and printer consumables distributed through Despec across the Nordic region.
- EpsoncoreEpson is a prominent brand partner for printers, scanners, and consumables distributed by Despec. Epson Care Packs and CoverPlus insurance products are also offered.
- XeroxcoreXerox is a key brand partner for printers and printer consumables distributed through Despec.
- KyoceracoreKyocera is a brand partner for printers and printer consumables distributed through Despec.
- Ricoh (including ScanSnap)coreRicoh is a brand partner for printers and scanners. ScanSnap scanners (a Ricoh/PFU brand) are also distributed through Despec, with 7 million units sold globally and a 3-year warranty offer for registered products.
- Konica MinoltacoreKonica Minolta is a brand partner for printers and printer consumables distributed through Despec.
- SharpcoreSharp is a brand partner for printers, scanners, and office products distributed through Despec.
- LogitechcoreLogitech is a key IT accessories brand partner distributed through Despec, including headsets, webcams, and other peripherals.
- JabracoreJabra is a brand partner for audio and headset products distributed through Despec.
- LeitzcoreLeitz is a major brand for office supplies, ergonomic products (Leitz Ergo), shredders (Leitz IQ), laminators (Leitz iLAM), and TruSens air purifiers distributed through Despec.
- MousetrappercoreMousetrapper is a Swedish ergonomic mouse brand with over 25 years of experience. Distributed through Despec, the product line includes the Mousetrapper Advance 2.0, alpha, and prime models with MT Keys software.
- GBCcoreGBC is a leading brand for laminating machines and binding machines, described as the world's oldest laminating brand. Despec distributes GBC's full product range including manual and automatic laminators and binding systems.
- RexelcoreRexel is the leading brand for shredding machines. Despec distributes the full Rexel range including manual shredders (Rexel Momentum, Rexel Secure) and automatic shredders (Rexel Optimum AutoFeed+) that can save up to 98% of shredding time.
- HSMcoreHSM is a brand for shredding machines focused on data security. Despec distributes the HSM SECURIO, HSM Pure, and HSM Shredstar series, offering models for all security levels, office sizes, and media types including paper and hard drives.
- Despec Nordic Brands (Triumph Adler, Develop, Utax, oNEST, and others)coreDespec Nordic Brands is Despec's own brand portfolio covering multiple product categories. With more than 90 distribution agreements, the brand portfolio includes Triumph Adler, Develop, Utax, oNEST, and other proprietary or aligned brands.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Despec competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Westcoast: Westcoast is the UK's largest independent IT distributor, supplying resellers with print, peripherals, and office IT products. Its product mix and reseller channel model closely mirror Despec's, though its geography is concentrated in the UK rather than the Nordics.
- Komplett: Komplett is a Nordic online retailer of consumer electronics and IT products, listed on Oslo Børs. While more retail/DTC than wholesale, it overlaps with Despec in IT accessories, peripherals, and the Nordic product portfolio, and can be a reference point for Nordic demand and pricing dynamics.
Direct peers
- Lyreco: Lyreco is a family-owned European leader in workplace and office product distribution, with catalogue, ergonomic, and print consumables lines. Its B2B distribution to resellers and end customers and its multi-category product model (paper, supplies, hygiene, ergonomics) closely mirror Despec's assortment and channel focus.
- Viking Office: Viking Office is a Europe-wide office products distributor (North American parent) operating catalogue and B2B channels for office supplies, paper, and consumables. Its product mix and B2B distribution model directly correspond to Despec's office supplies and paper categories.
- Dustin Group: Dustin is a Nordic-headquartered IT distributor and reseller (Nasdaq Stockholm: DUST) serving SMBs, enterprises, and the public sector with hardware, software, and adjacent services. Like Despec, it consolidates a fragmented Nordic IT supply chain, but it operates deeper direct-to-end-customer e-commerce and a larger services arm, making it a close operating peer for benchmarking Despec's distribution model.
- Atea: Atea is a Nordic IT infrastructure and services provider (Oslo Børs: ATEA) with distribution of hardware and supplies to public and private sector customers across the Nordics. It competes with Despec in the Nordic IT supply chain and is a relevant direct comparable for go-to-market and scale.
Broad incumbents
- TD SYNNEX: TD SYNNEX is one of the largest global IT distributors (NYSE: SNX), distributing peripheral, printer, and office-adjacent products through resellers. While its scale and geography dwarf Despec, its wholesale intermediary model and channel partner focus make it a relevant benchmark for distribution economics.
- Office Depot Europe (now part of Lyreco/AURELIUS portfolio): Office Depot Europe operated a large European office supplies distribution business serving resellers and direct customers. Its mix of office supplies, paper, print consumables, and IT accessories directly overlaps Despec's assortment, though it operates at materially larger scale.
- ALSO Group: ALSO is a major European IT distribution platform (SIX: ALSN) covering hardware, software, and IT services across 30+ countries. It is comparable to Despec at the wholesale intermediary layer but operates at substantially greater scale and breadth, including logistics, financing, and cloud marketplaces.
- Ingram Micro: Ingram Micro is a global IT wholesaler serving resellers across print, peripherals, and IT accessories — a product mix that substantially overlaps with Despec's IT and print categories. As a broad incumbent, it defines the competitive baseline for scale and breadth that Despec's Nordic platform must contend with regionally.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Despec social profiles
Digital presenceDespec financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Despec leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Despec subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Despec funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Despec M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Despec
What does Despec do?
Despec is a Nordic wholesale distributor that sells IT accessories, office supplies, printer consumables, printers and scanners, ergonomic products, and office machines to dealers, resellers, and e-tailers across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. The company operates a B2B web shop, provides drop-shipment logistics, and offers value-added services such as Prisume automated consumables delivery, the Ink & Toner Guide search tool covering 50,000+ printers, BID pricing, credit facilities, e-invoicing, and managed print services. Despec holds more than 90 distribution agreements with brands including HP, Canon, Brother, Epson, Lexmark, Ricoh, Logitech, Jabra, Leitz, GBC, Rexel, and HSM.
Is Despec a public or private company?
Despec is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Despec founded?
Despec was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Despec based?
Despec is headquartered in Sem, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Despec make money?
One revenue line is on record: product distribution and resale.
Who are Despec's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Westcoast and Komplett. Direct peers are Lyreco, Viking Office, Dustin Group and Atea. Broad incumbents are TD SYNNEX, Office Depot Europe (now part of Lyreco/AURELIUS portfolio), ALSO Group and Ingram Micro.
Does Despec have an API?
No public API is recorded for Despec.