Premier Farnell to launch element14 sales channel

Premier Farnell to launch element14 sales channel in the US

First global electronics distributor to offer integrated community functionality

LONDON - February 9, 2010 - Premier Farnell, the company behind the innovative element14 community and technical portal, will expand the capability of the site by launching a new electronics web distribution channel into the US market. This new channel combines Premier Farnell's trusted high service proposition with its unique web 2.0 community, providing electronic design engineers with a new way of working that supports every stage of the design process, from conception through the creation of a prototype.

Design engineers will be able to purchase the electronic components they need at the element14 store, while accessing design tools, conducting research and collaborating with global peers on the community. This offers customers a compelling web experience where everything they need is only one click away. element14 began as a technical portal for design engineers and is quickly becoming a workspace where design engineers turn for everything they need throughout their early design cycle.

element14 already gives users access to a comprehensive suite of design tools, including DesignLink and CadSoft's EAGLE software, over 15,000 technical documents and specialized discussion groups. The exciting combination with the store provides design engineers with all the information required to buy and integrate new products into their innovative designs, reducing their time to market and filling a void in the overall electronic distribution market.

The element14 store will only be available to US customers and is a complementary offering to Newark, Premier Farnell's already market leading multi-channel distributor.

"The US market is set to enter into an exciting period of growth, led by the high tech space, and Premier Farnell is committed to providing electronic design engineers with the products and services they require to remain competitive ," said Harriet Green, Chief Executive Officer of Premier Farnell. "element14 is the first all-inclusive online community built to provide design engineers with the information and tools they need to develop their ideas and thinking. Now our element14 store takes this model even further by providing customers with a new channel that takes into account the changing needs of the electronic design engineering community."

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Editor's Notes:

element14 is a new, innovative information portal and eCommunity specifically built for electronic design engineers. It provides product data, design tools and technology information, whilst incorporating web 2.0 functionality to facilitate communication, interaction, collaboration and information sharing between colleagues around the world. Users can consult experts, discover trends, post blogs, articles and comments in this world-wide forum.

element14 is another innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design engineers throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. It has a stocked range of 450,000+ products, and access to 4,000,000 more items from 3,500 top manufacturers. The company has group sales of £804.4m and over 4,100 employees globally.

For more information about element14 visit the community at www.element-14.com.

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