The base, overlooking Moody's Boatyard in Swanwick, Southampton, will sell kit from HP, Konica Minolta and Ricoh and forms the "first stage of an initial growth" plan in the south.

Richard Noble, regional sales director for the midlands and south-west division said: "With Danwood set to position itself as a major player in the print and technology market in the south, Southampton was the ideal choice."

He aims to turn the base into one of its biggest distribution centres for print, copy and document-management kit.

In April the firm bought distributor Paragon Systems in Livingston, Scotland. A month later it opened offices in Huntingdon and Bromsgrove to extend its reach into the east and Midlands.