Distributor returns to retail market

On-demand software distributor Tribeka is set to return to the retail market after a six-year hiatus.

The company’s Softwide system enables resellers to produce point-of-sale packaged software directly from software publishers’ masters, rather than keeping inventory of boxed products.

Customers choose products from dummy boxes or an in-store e-catalogue, then staff use the Softwide system to burn a CD and print the DVD-style packaging and a short manual.

Tribeka has a software catalogue of about 1,900 products, many from well-known publishers such as Webroot, Sage, McAfee, Kapersky, Iris, Eidos, Corel and BitDefender.

Back in 2001, the system was used in 67 outlets, including WH Smith, Foyles bookshop in London and Gateway’s shops in the US. But it was slow and had several vulnerabilities, so Tribeka withdrew it.

Currently, Softwide is used only in Tribeka’s World of Software stores at Heathrow airport’s Terminal 4 and in Watford.

Reworked in the intervening six years, Softwide can now churn out up to 80 products an hour, according to Mark Furtado, commercial development manager at Tribeka. “We expect the systems to be running for 100 hours a week,” he said.

The company is approaching major retailers with the enhanced system and expects to roll out Softwide to multiple’s stores before the end of the year.

One chain the company has approached is PC World. “We have spoken to Tribeka because we are constantly reviewing different technology options,” said a representative of PC World owner DSGi.