“Our primary strategy is to be both adaptive and culturally sensitive to the markets we tap into as well as keeping our vision steady and based on keeping up with the industry’s advancements.” – Mr. Jagat Shah, Chairman and CEO, MITSUMI Group
MITSUMI Distribution has established itself as a leading name in the IT distribution sector. Could you walk us through its growth journey and the key milestones that have shaped its success?
MITSUMI Distribution’s journey began in 1998 in Kenya, as a computer reseller under the name Mitsumi Computer Garage Ltd. with my brother and co-founder Mitesh Shah. We were a first-generation Indian family witnessing how access to technology was rapidly transforming lives in Africa. What began as a modest venture gradually grew with our shared vision and perseverance. We had a deep belief in empowering local communities with not only our technological expertise but innovative solutions.
In 2003, we expanded to Dubai, UAE, allowing us to take over the Middle East and Africa region with cost-effective, cutting-edge technologies. We didn’t believe in a one size fits all, hub-and-spoke model, establishing a direct and localized presence in each new market, building regional headquarters and assembling native teams. Come 2008, we had presence across East Africa and beyond, and today we operate across 36 countries, with over 45 global brand partnerships and a powerful ecosystem of more than 3,200 dealers.
Each expansion was driven by our core belief: sustainable market leadership requires a real, on-the-ground commitment to our clients’ success. Our investments in advanced logistics, including our state-of-the-art facility in Dubai, and a focus on next-day delivery, have further propelled our journey from a local distributor to a multi-vertical, global powerhouse.
What would you say are MITSUMI’s biggest strengths – the things that really set it apart and help it succeed across such diverse business areas?
Our strength is our ability to tackle challenging geographies and segments with ease. We succeed by going beyond basic distribution—we handle local sales, support, logistics, and last-mile delivery. Our dedicated teams cover every business category from SMBs to governments and provide all-in-one solutions that let our partners scale, grow and expand quickly. MITSUMI has a unique partner-first approach, we offer not just warehousing and financing, but also training, technical support, and co-marketing. Our controlled, custom-built logistics centre in Dubai is proof of our operational strength—empowering us to offer next-day delivery and tailored financial models, including buy-now-pay-later schemes. We believe in building relationships that are mutually beneficial to business. Ultimately, our greatest strength is our agility and unwavering commitment to building trust and capability in every market we serve.
The global IT market is highly competitive. How does MITSUMI manage to stay unique and continue growing amid so much competition?
We stand where others don’t, that’s how we stay unique. We enter uncharted territories, under-served, high-barrier markets and make it our own by providing end-to-end local presence. We believe in tailoring our approach to the market, so we keep our teams local and provide thorough customer service. By investing heavily in digital transformation and embedding cloud, AI, and security offerings into our services portfolio, we help our partners tackle the market however it flows. We have flexibility of financing, rapid onboarding of partners, and robust logistics allowing us to have quicker response times. The most important thing here is that we see ourselves as value creators, committed to advancing the ecosystem long-term instead of chasing transactions.
How has MITSUMI expanded its presence over the years to strengthen its global reach?
Our primary strategy is to be both adaptive and culturally sensitive to the markets we tap into as well as keeping our vision steady and based on keeping up with the industry’s advancements. We have had a clear vision: to become an enabler of technology for our clients so that we could mutually advance to the next level. We have had a localized approach, by selecting working capital strategies and placing the best of local talent in leadership roles. We place great emphasis on learning quickly, such as when we entered Francophone West Africa, onboarding native French speaking staff and support teams for a higher degree of service to our customers. Respecting cultural nuances always, we have now established regional headquarters in multiple countries. It is our deliberate strategies focused on advancement that have allowed us to build economies that quickly scale, while providing a localized approach when it comes to consumer relationship building.
With technology evolving so quickly, from cloud and AI to cybersecurity and data centres, how is MITSUMI keeping up with these changing market needs?
We don’t just see technology as a product but as a platform to create untapped growth. MITSUMI has a dedicated service-based distribution model, offering our own cloud, infrastructure-as-a-service, system integration, and even cybersecurity as a service. Partners and clients can access extended payment terms and digital financing to support their transformation journeys. We are continuously evolving our solutions stack, training our network on the latest digital and AI-driven technologies, and investing in infrastructure that anticipates tomorrow’s needs.
Could you elaborate on how MITSUMI is enhancing ecosystem integration and partnerships to drive growth across its network?
Our approach to partnerships is holistic and hands-on. We onboard new partners by supplying local stock and skill-building, giving them training, co-sale programs, and integrated technical services. Where partners lack capacity for project management, we supply value-added services, ensuring even small dealers can deliver major projects. Financially, we work closely with both vendors and partners to enable project-driven credit and innovative payment structures, allowing for mutual innovation and risk-sharing. Our robust network of 3,200+ partners, together with over 45 brands, means we not only deliver technology but build resilient, localized supply chains that are the foundation for sustainable market growth.
As the global IT and technology landscape continues to evolve, what are the key trends shaping the future of IT distribution, and how is MITSUMI positioning itself for the next phase of growth?
The IT distribution business is undergoing a rapid change, moving from simple product movement to total tech enablement. The future lies in services—cloud, AI, cybersecurity, and data infrastructure—and in the ability to offer these as scalable, localized solutions. There’s also a greater focus on sustainability and genuine market development; our ethos is never to do ‘grey business’ or disrupt local markets with re-exporting. Instead, our investment is in building digital ecosystems that foster training, innovation, and resilience for our vendors and partners. MITSUMI’s long-term vision is to lead this revolution—not just in Africa and the Middle East, but globally—by constantly innovating, training, and expanding our localized service offerings.
