ACT is continuing its rapid expansion with the takeover of a German distributor and a tie-up with Tandy.

The deal with Tandy involves setting up a new company, TA Computerworld, that will take over ACT's 20 Computerworld stores and the 49 Tandy computer centres. The new company will sell Tandy's range of computers as well as the Apricot micros from ACT.

In addition, Tandy will be selling parts of the Apricot range in 140 of its general retail shops along with 290 Tandy dealers and franchises.

The deal will boost sales of the Apricot in European countries where ACT has only a limited sales penetration.

Tandy's finance director, Andrew Barwood, says the company is "still undecided about the rest of the range, but we are definitely interested in the F1."

In a separate move, ACT has taken over Beaugrand Datentechnik, a German micro and office equipment company. It will market and provide full after sales support for ACT products.

With a wholly-owned subsidiary in France, the recently establisshed Apricot Inc in the US and a jointly owned distributor in the Far East, ACT is now well on the way to making its presence felt around the world.