May recovery expected for PC market

Magma misery: The Icelandic volcano eruption saw a number of end users putting orders on hold

Channel PC sales are expected to bounce back this month as orders delayed by the Icelandic volcano crisis begin to flood in, research has claimed.

Figures from market watcher Context reveal PC unit sales through distribution in Europe's 14 biggest economies fell by 13.8 per cent sequentially in April. Revenues were down by 14.3 per cent. The Netherlands was the continent's hardest-hit country, with unit sales plummeting by 24.7 per cent.

Of Europe's three biggest markets, the UK fared far worse than Germany or France. April unit sales in this country dropped by 15.3 per cent on March's numbers, while revenue slipped by 17.1 per cent. The French and German markets endured revenue declines of 9.3 and 6.2 per cent, respectively.

Consumer-focused PC channels were in slightly better shape than their business counterparts during April. Consumer product shipments fell by 12.6 per cent sequentially, compared to 14.5 per cent drop in the commercial arena.

April's sharp decline, which Context recently claimed was partly fuelled by the volcanic travel disruption, comes in stark contrast to a vibrant first quarter, when PC revenues grew by 10.2 per cent annually across the region. But Marie-Christine Pygott, senior research analyst at Context, claimed the channel could expect to post better numbers this month.

"April was an unusual month for the European PC business," she said. "But demand is still there and we expect to see a significant rebound in business during May as delayed orders are fulfilled."