Table:
|  | 2019 | % of Net<br>Sales | 2018 | % of Net Sales |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NorthAmerica | $ 871,114 | 14.5% | $732,695 | 13.7% |
| EMEA | $227,083 | 14.9% | $221,467 | 14.5% |
| APAC | $39,901 | 22.1% | $39,556 | 21.2% |
| Consolidated | $1,138,098 | 14.7% | $993,718 | 14.0% |
Paragraphs:
Gross Profit. Gross profit increased 15%, or $144.4 million, in 2019 compared to 2018, with gross margin increasing approximately 70 basis points to 14.7% of net sales. Our gross profit and gross profit as a percent of net sales by operating segment for 2019 and 2018 were as follows (dollars in thousands):
North America’s gross profit in 2019 increased 19% compared to 2018, and as a percentage of net sales, gross margin increased by approximately 80 basis points year over year. The year over year net increase in gross margin was primarily attributable to the following:
• A net increase in product margin, which includes partner funding and freight, of 30 basis points year over year. This increase was due primarily to improvements in hardware and software product margin partially as a result of improvements in core business margins on product net sales and also as a result of PCM.
• Services margin improvement year over year of 50 basis points was generated from increased vendor funding, cloud solution offerings and referral fees. In addition, there was a 21 basis point improvement in margins from Insight delivered services.
EMEA’s gross profit in 2019 increased 3% (increased 8% excluding the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates), compared to 2018. As a percentage of net sales, gross margin increased by approximately 40 basis points year over year.
APAC’s gross profit in 2019 increased 1% (increased 6% excluding the effects of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates), compared to 2018, with gross margin increasing to 22.1% in 2019 from 21.2% in 2018. The improvement in gross margin for both EMEA and APAC in 2019 compared to 2018 was due primarily to changes in sales mix to higher margin products and services.
Question:
How much did Gross profit increased in 2019 compared to 2018?
Answer: $144.4 million