Desktop monitor sales struggling

Desktop monitor sales struggled in the final quarter of 2008

Desktop monitor vendors are finding it difficult – if not impossible – to achieve annual or quarterly growth either in shipments or revenue.

Market analyst Meko found that the total sales in the fourth quarter of 2008 across EMEA fell by four per cent to 12.8 million units. Year on year, the market shrunk by 17 per cent.

Paul Butler, analyst director at Meko, said the top five suppliers experienced mixed fortunes but failed to report year on year growth.

“[For example,] Acer's recent acquisitions have allowed it to show only a two per cent year-on-year drop in shipments but, without adding Packard Bell and Gateway shipments, the company would have been in a similar position to the other main PC brands,” he said.

“This is the first time we have had to report a decline in sales from Q3 to Q4 in the desktop monitor market in EMEA.”

Local brand Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) and Asus were the only vendors in the top ten that reported growth compared with the fourth quarter of 2007.

FSC volumes were up 18 per cent, as it acted to get rid of its stock of 19in-wide monitors during the quarter.

Asus was up 12 per cent on the same period last year, but only grew its sales three per cent from the previous quarter.

According to Meko, the popularity of Asus’ Eee PCs has helped it sell well through the EMEA channel.

Sales in former CIS states fell 45 per cent year on year and quarterly. In the UK and Ireland, sales fell 20 per cent year on year and 10 per cent compared with the Q308.

“Here, consumer sales can usually be relied on to provide a healthy seasonal boost to sales, but this year the uplift in consumer purchases was more than offset by a virtual freeze in purchasing by SMEs and corporates,” Butler said.