Sharp UK CEO Stuart Sykes and Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer Trevor Budd, spoke to Michelle Ryder about the company’s evolution into a unified technology partner, bringing print, IT services, workplace solutions and AV together under the One Sharp umbrella
As reported last issue, Sharp used its Inspire Expo 2026 event to make a clear statement about its future direction. With the integration of print, IT services, workplace solutions and AV, the company is positioning itself as a single, end-to-end technology partner for channel partners. The One Sharp positioning is the result of two years of work and extensive consultation across Sharp’s customer-facing teams. “The best way to think about One Sharp is a call to action, a market statement.
The One Sharp component is really making it clear to our customers, partners and our own people, that the various strands of the business are, for the first time, coming together completely. This is a statement of intent,” Budd explained.
“Our value proposition is ‘technology partner,’ and ‘connecting people with technology’ is the tagline that sits underneath it,” he added.
Built from the ground up
Budd said the technology partner proposition was built from the ground up to reflect the real value Sharp delivers. It centres on four pillars – expert advice, tailored solutions, end- to-end support, and security.
“Expert advice is really built around us taking the time to understand our clients’ businesses,” he said. This includes helping customers articulate their needs internally, build business cases and secure investment. Support remains a major differentiator. “We’ve always been incredibly well-known for the support that we provide through all channels, from understanding options to implementation to ongoing service and support, over many years.”
Security underpins everything. With a sizable IT capability in the UK and new solutions showcased at the event, Budd said Sharp has been “taking security extremely seriously.”
Business restructure
Sykes explained the moves Sharp is making in the UK to make that One Sharp call to action a reality in terms of how the business is structured. “From the first of April, which coincides with the NEC Display business being integrated, we come together practically as one trading company.
Sharp UK will be a single business with a single organisation structure,” he said. This, he says will give partners a simpler, more cohesive experience. “Our dealers have one point of contact. So, it really gels together, you can come and deal with One Sharp across display, print and IT services.”
IT services
A major highlight at Inspire Expo was the launch of Sharp DX (Sharp Digital Experience) – the newly formed brand that unifies the company’s IT services businesses across Europe. Sharp DX represents the culmination of multiple acquisitions over the past five years.
Bringing companies like Complete IT in the UK, ITpoint in Switzerland, and Apsia in France, Spain and Italy together, to unite 500+ IT services professionals under one brand. By bringing together expertise in cloud, cybersecurity, managed services, digital workplace and AI‑driven solutions, customers will benefit from a more consistent, scalable and consultative services model, designed to support end- to-end digital transformation journeys.
Expanding into enterprise
The acquisition of Apsia in particular marks a significant shift in the company’s market reach. “Apsia operates in the enterprise space, which we’ve historically not done in the UK,” Budd explained. “Our sweet spot is in the SME and larger SME corporate space, and now we need to redesign our capability to go to market in an enterprise sense, for two reasons. We’ve now got pan- European capability.
So, if we spot those opportunities, we’ve got a partner that can come in and support that and the same applies to the datacentre we’ve got in Switzerland which also operates at that enterprise level.”Sykes added that the combined capabilities of the UK IT business, Apsia and the Swiss datacentre (previously ITpoint): “definitely complement each other and enable Sharp to go to all parts of the client market.”
Budd said the timing of the UK’s move to a single legal entity aligns with Sharp’s broader European strategy. “It’s not until we’ve got that complete European-wide IT capability that it’s been the right time to come together as one technology partner in this One Sharp call to action.” While the Sharp DX brand will not be used in the UK, it will be the trading entity for pan-European enterprise opportunities. “The Sharp DX piece enables us to position ourselves a single point of contact for IT across our geographies and across the skillsets that these acquisitions have given us.
We’ve got the capability to do almost everything that any of our clients would want or expect us to be able to deliver,” he added. “This is good news for dealers,” Sykes said. “Knowing that Sharp is in the enterprise space gives them and the potential client more confidence, that in partnership, we can manage their needs.”
Stronger together
Sykes said Sharp is actively expanding its dealer base. “We are bringing on and looking for new dealers every day and developing new relationships,” he explained. “We do have a really strong reseller program and we’re getting a lot of people knocking on our door.” Sharp’s breadth of solutions means dealers can diversify at their own pace.
“The message over the last few days [at Inspire Expo] has been we’re stronger together,” he said, adding: “Some partners will want to stay with just print, but others will say telecoms is right for me, or AV is right for me, or meeting room solutions, and at that time we can help them do that.”
He continued: “Often in businesses, there’s a desire to try something new but not necessarily to invest hard cash and we’re there for that early part. We will give partners the resources and help them until they think it’s the right time to actually embed it into their business. “We can consult, we can design, we can implement, we can look after anything a partner wants us to do to help them move forward with AV products.”
Dealer feedback
The event hosted 400 guests from dealerships across Europe, including 20 UK organisations. “That ranged from people who have been with us for 46 years as a dealer to some who have been a partner for less than a year,” Sykes said.
Partner feedback was really positive. “Dealers attending Inspire Expo really enjoyed it, not only from a hospitality point of view, but also from meeting each other, talking amongst each other about what have you tried? How have you found it with Sharp? What’s the support been like? Have you made money out of this?”
He said peer to peer conversations were invaluable. “There’s no better way than having references from dealers who can talk positively and other dealers say, we didn’t realise that’s the way that you package everything up and we’d like to talk further about it.” Budd added: “Investing in such a big event as this is that line in the sand for us, that statement to say that we are absolutely right behind you on this journey, and we will help you in any way we can.
“We might not be able to box solutions for everything today, but we will know what those box solutions will look like in the future, and if it’s a case of educating, if it’s a case of partnering in a true partner sense, helping you through deals and into opportunities and bespoke solutions, we are there on that journey and able to do that with you.”
In conclusion, Sykes said: “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Sharp is a long- term partner, we’re stronger together. And therefore, when the time is right for you to decide that you want to diversify, talk to us.”
