Business & Technology
Hammer Distribution signs UK firewall deal with Stormshield
JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN
News Editor
Hammer Distribution has signed a UK distribution partnership with Stormshield, becoming a distributor for the vendor’s next-generation firewall range.
The agreement gives Hammer access to Stormshield’s hardware and virtual firewall products, which are available immediately to its reseller and systems integrator network.
Stormshield is a European cybersecurity supplier whose network security products are aimed at organisations with strict security and data protection requirements. Its firewall range holds European and defence-related certifications including EU Restricted, NATO Restricted and ANSSI.
The deal adds another cybersecurity vendor to Hammer’s portfolio as distributors look to offer partners a broader mix of security products amid continued demand for network protection and data sovereignty. It also gives Stormshield wider access to UK channel partners through a distributor with an established base in storage, servers and security.
Channel focus
The partnership is intended to support resellers and systems integrators seeking an alternative to established US firewall suppliers. Hammer plans to provide technical pre-sales support, proof-of-concept assistance and training around the Stormshield range.
The products are designed for a wide range of environments, from small branch sites to larger operational technology settings. That positions the partnership to target customers across both IT and industrial infrastructure projects, where network segmentation and control remain core buying requirements.
Hammer has operated in the technology distribution market for more than 30 years. The company focuses on storage, server and security products, and works with vendors and channel partners on tailored deployments.
For Stormshield, the tie-up strengthens its route to market in the region through a specialist distributor with technical reach into the reseller channel. The French vendor sells to commercial organisations as well as government and defence customers that need protection for critical infrastructure, sensitive data and operational systems.
Dominic Ryles of Hammer Distribution described the agreement as part of a wider push to expand the company’s security offering for partners facing more complex customer requirements.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome Stormshield to the Hammer family,” said Dominic Ryles at Hammer Distribution. “In an era of evolving digital warfare, our partners need security solutions they can trust implicitly. Stormshield’s pedigree offers a level of assurance and European engineering excellence that is rare in the market. This partnership is not just about expanding our product line; it’s about providing our resellers with a competitive edge in the high-growth cybersecurity sector.”
Regional growth
The agreement is intended to help Stormshield expand through the channel by working with a distributor that can support partner recruitment and technical engagement. The company presented the deal as a route to broader market coverage for its firewall range.
“We are delighted to partner with Hammer Distribution,” said Bertrand Trastour, head of global sales at Stormshield. “Hammer’s reputation for deep technical expertise and their proactive approach to channel development makes them the perfect partner to accelerate Stormshield’s growth in the region. Together, we are committed to empowering the channel to solve the most complex security challenges facing businesses today.”
The announcement reflects a broader trend in the security market as European vendors sharpen their position around regional certification, sovereignty and transparency at a time when buyers are paying closer attention to where security products are developed and governed. For channel partners, that can create a clearer sales proposition in accounts where procurement teams want alternatives aligned with European standards and regulatory expectations.
Stormshield’s technologies are used by companies, government institutions and defence organisations seeking to secure critical infrastructure, sensitive data and operational environments.
Business & Technology
Mouse droppings found in Oxford city Chinese restaurant
Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle in New Inn Hall Street was inspected by Oxford City Council on May 26.
Inspectors subsequently handed the Chinese restaurant a rating of two out of five, meaning “improvement necessary”.
According to the report, received by the Oxford Mail after a Freedom of Information request submission, officers identified a series of concerns, including evidence of mouse activity.
The report states that mouse droppings were found throughout the business in two food storage rooms and the bar area.
In one of the storage areas, mouse activity was present where noodles were kept in plastic carrier bags and potatoes and onion were left in the open.
“Historic” mouse droppings at Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle (Image: Oxford City Council)
Inspectors said pest-proofing measures were “not great” and identified a hole beneath a sink in the bar area which could potentially allow pests to enter the premises.
In the report, the inspector said: “At the time of the inspection, I observed a number of historic mouse dropping in both the food storage areas.
“The most recent pest control report mentions no mouse activity in any of the food storage areas.
“All areas where food is prepared and stored must be kept clean and capable of being kept clean. This is so that pests are not attracted into your premises and the risk of food being contaminated by dirt is minimised.”
They advised the owner to remove all historic mouse droppings within the food business and continue to identify any issues of pest proofing within a month.
A hole where pests could have entered underneath the sink (Image: Oxford City Council)
The business was instructed to remove the droppings and improve pest-proofing measures where previous temporary work had failed.
Food storage issues were also highlighted during the inspection.
In an “overfilled” fridge, officers found raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat foods, including uncovered beans and spring onions, which could cause cross-contamination leading to food poisoning.
That same fridge, which stored items such as cooked rice, chicken ballotine and prawns, was above the required eight degrees, raising concern about food poisoning.
A large number of food containers were also unlabelled, despite the food looking fresh.
The officer insisted a “robust system for ensuring adequate stock rotation” was implemented and recommended all food be kept in sealed, pest-proof containers.
An overfilled fridge which was measured above safe temperature (Image: Oxford City Council)
No food-safe sanitiser or disinfectant were available on site, only a kitchen cleaner which they said did not provide adequate disinfection.
Despite the concerns, the report noted there had been a “huge improvement” in cleaning standards since the restaurant’s previous inspection.
The business also had a food safety management system in place and a pest control contract with Pure Pest Solutions.
The council has required a range of improvements, with compliance timescales ranging from one week to one month with a revisit inspection planned.
Business & Technology
Oxford startup secures Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award
Oxford-based Peripear has secured an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award and a £74,974 grant for its development of a wearable device designed to prevent perineal trauma during labour.
The funding will support continued product development ahead of the company’s planned first-in-human study.
Nina van Schaick, co-founder and COO of Peripear as well as a midwife who trained at Oxford Brookes, said: “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to see this gap.
“I was incredibly lucky to meet my co-founder, Eviatar Natan, right as my frustration about the lack of translation of evidence into practice had peaked.
“There was a proven mechanism that could reduce injuries occurring in up to 90 per cent of vaginal births, and it was being left out of clinical pathways simply because no standardised tool existed to deliver it.”
Peripear is developing what it describes as the world’s first automated perineal thermotherapy wearable, designed to prevent perineal trauma during childbirth.
A perineal thermotherapy wearable is an emerging medical device.
It is a hands‑free warm compress device used on the perineum during the second stage of labour to reduce severe tearing and episiotomies while improving maternal comfort.
Ms van Schaick added: “I’m a farmer’s granddaughter, and when I started practising over 14 years ago, I asked: where is the tool I need to implement this evidence? I looked around and realised we were still asking clinicians to improvise.
“Peripear is what happens when the person who has lived the problem, both personally and professionally, meets the person who can help her build the solution.”
Business & Technology
UK bike manufacturer on brink of £30m collapse after 139 years
The company behind bikemaker Raleigh, which was founded 139 years ago and has supplied bikes to the UK’s cycling city of Oxford over the years, has filed to appoint administrators.
Accell UK and Ireland, part of Netherlands-based Accell Group, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as the wider group kickstarted insolvency proceedings.
This follows a difficult spell for Nottinghamshire-based Raleigh, which confirmed job cuts in 2024 before reporting a £30m loss in financial accounts published the following year.
READ MORE: UK supermarket giant issues customer notice on Jeremy Clarkson beer
The boss of Accell said it was a “deeply sad and frustrating situation” and that it had “tirelessly explored” every option for the future of the cycling business.
The company bought Raleigh in 2012 for around 100 million US dollars (£74 million), adding to its roster of bike brands throughout Europe including Haibike, Winora and Ghost.
Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and was well-known for its Chopper model, which featured extended handlebars and is now part of its “retro” range.
It no longer manufactures bikes from Nottingham, and its head office has moved to Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, while the company has shifted to selling electric bikes under Accell’s ownership.
READ MORE: TV icon daughter’s £3.95m swimming pool mansion in Oxfordshire unsold
Accell went through a restructuring in February, securing additional funding from shareholders and lenders and reducing debts.
The group said it had since “explored every possible avenue” for its future, including discussions with potential buyers, but that it had not been possible to find a solution which means the business can continue operating.
It has therefore initiated insolvency proceedings in the Netherlands.
Accell’s chief executive Jonas Nilsson said: “This is a deeply sad and frustrating situation given all the hard work and everything we have achieved, with the support of shareholders and lenders, to restructure Accell’s operations and finances.
“It is an especially difficult moment for our employees, creditors, customers, suppliers, and partners.
READ MORE: EastEnders cast ‘furious’ as Shane Richie due to appear in court
“Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form.
“Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.”
At its 1970s height, Raleigh employed more than 13,000 people across the UK, with around 8,000 working at its various Triumph Road sites in Nottingham.
The former factory land later became the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus.
Raleigh subsequently moved its headquarters to Church Street in Eastwood, before leaving that site and relocating to Durban House in 2024.
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoHenley Festival 2026 highlights: Five nights of unforgettable performances and festival moments
-
Oxford united FC3 weeks agoOxford United three players who be kept after transfer ban
-
Business & Technology2 weeks agoSlice golf bar swings to new heights after successful launch
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoMan jailed for ‘sickening’ sexual assault of three girls in Cotswolds
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoUK AI firms raise record GBP £4.56bn in Q2 funding
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoCrazy Bear Stadhampton: a new era with refreshed spaces, theatrical dining and Afternoon Tea Feast
