Westcon-Comstor posts record $3.37 billion in first-half gross sales

Westcon-Comstor said first-half gross sales rose 21.3% to a record $3.37 billion in the six months ended Aug. 31, 2026, with adjusted EBITDA also hitting a new high. The results underscore strong demand across cybersecurity, networking and cloud infrastructure despite macroeconomic and geopolitical pressure.

Why it matters: - Westcon-Comstor's results show that value-added distribution is gaining traction as IT channel partners look for specialist support, data insights and services-led revenue. - The company's growth points to continued demand tied to AI, digital transformation and cyber resilience. - Broad-based gains across regions and product categories suggest the business is holding up well in a difficult market.

What happened: - Westcon-Comstor reported first-half gross sales of $3.37 billion for the six months ended 31 August 2026, up 21.3% year-on-year from $2.78 billion. - Adjusted EBITDA rose 13.5% to $86.7 million from $76.4 million. - The results cover H1 FY27. - Gross sales grew in all three operating regions: Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

The details: - Recurring gross sales increased 20% year-on-year to $2.25 billion. - Recurring gross sales made up 67% of total gross sales in the period. - Cybersecurity remained the company's largest technology category, with gross sales up 21.6% year-on-year. - Networking gross sales rose 11.9% year-on-year. - Data centre and cloud infrastructure gross sales jumped 75% as customers invested in cloud adoption, AI workloads and more complex digital environments. - Hardware accounted for 28% of total gross sales. - Hardware sales still grew nearly 24% year-on-year, helped by a broader refresh cycle and inventory planning linked to pricing volatility. - Westcon-Comstor operates in more than 50 countries and goes to market through Westcon, Comstor and Rebura.

Between the lines: - The company is shifting toward software and services-led repeatable business, which typically produces more predictable revenue than hardware-heavy sales. - The strong mix of recurring sales and hardware growth suggests customers are both refreshing infrastructure and building longer-term buying patterns. - Chief Executive Officer David Grant said AI is increasing demand, but partners need more than products alone to capture that opportunity. - Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Callum McGregor said the breadth of performance across regions and technology categories gives the company a strong platform for the second half.

What's next: - Westcon-Comstor said it will stay focused on disciplined execution. - The company also plans to keep helping partners build more predictable, services-led business models. - Management expects macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and pricing pressure to continue shaping the market. - Westcon-Comstor will continue targeting opportunities across the technology lifecycle as partners and customers remain selective about investment.