Wick Hill has taken over rival distie C-Media Interactive's Kaspersky Lab business with the blessing of the Russian-based security software firm.

Surrey-based Wick Hill was already distributing Kasperky's products in the UK and Germany. C-Media has been working with Kaspersky since 2004.

Wick Hill said it had set up a dedicated team to handle the transition, and support the resellers it has inherited from C-Media.

“We have invested in finance, marketing and staff resources to grow business for and with our existing Kaspersky Lab channel partners, alongside the new resellers, and we plan to continue to deliver strong sales and margin growth to them in the coming years," said Wick Hill chairman Ian Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick told us, "The commercial elements of the deal are confidential but it is a substantial transaction."

Any C-Media Interactive staff shifting to Wick Hill won't have far to go - its offices are in Goldalming, Surrey, and Wick Hill is in the somewhat less picturesque Woking, a few miles up the road.

A little consolidation might not be a bad thing. Kaspersky has a crowded distie lineup with three value add and five retail/soho parters in the UK - not including C-Media.®