INDICATORS - PC shipments

Context looks at the top 10 vendors of PC shipments in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.

xt looks at the top 10 vendors of PC shipments in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.
 UK
 1) Packard Bell/NEC: consolidated data for Packard Bell, NEC, ZDS and
 Brett Computers
 (2) Fujitsu: consolidated data for Fujitsu, ICL and Aquarius
 VENDOR                           % GROWTH
 Compaq/Digital                        9.1
 Dell                                 61.7
 Toshiba                              36.8
 Hewlett Packard                      30.2
 IBM                                  -6.7
 Packard Bell/NEC (1)                -17.8
 Gateway                              -3.8
 Elonex (estimate)                    -6
 Apple                                36.5
 Fujitsu (1)                         103.9

With 24.6 per cent growth compared with the corresponding quarter last year, the UK PC market grew above the European average of 19 per cent.

High growth was achieved despite doubts over the future of the economy and fears of the effect of a high-value pound.

Among the top 10 vendors, Fujitsu achieved the best growth performance with 25,255 PCs shipped - a 103 per cent increase over the second quarter of 1997. Dell follows close behind with 61 per cent growth.

 FRANCE
 (1) Packard Bell/NEC: consolidated data for Packard Bell, NEC, ZDS and
 Brett Computers
 (2) Fujitsu: consolidated data for Fujitsu, ICL and Aquarius
 VENDOR                           % GROWTH
 Compaq/Digital                       34.4
 Packard Bell/NEC (1)                 15.8
 Hewlett Packard                       0.4
 IBM                                  28.6
 Dell                                 67.9
 Toshiba                              17.9
 SNI                                  42.3
 Apple                               -10.1
 Gateway                              -2.2
 Fujitsu (2)                          46.3

The World Cup seemed to have a negative effect on PC business during the second quarter of 1998, but the french PC market still enjoyed a steady growth rate of 20 per cent.

Healthy growth was mainly due to high demand in the small and medium business sector. Sales in this area are expected to become even stronger over the next couple of quarters as government schemes to support the medical and educational sector comes into effect by September.

 GERMANY
 (1) Fujitsu: consolidated data for Fujitsu, ICL and Aquarius
 (2) Acer: consolidated data for Acer and Texas Instruments
 VENDOR                           % GROWTH
 SNI                                  21.3
 Fujitsu (1)                         151.3
 Compaq/Digital                        6.4
 IBM                                 -10.3
 Dell                                 43.2
 Hewlett Packard                      24.4
 Toshiba                              38.8
 Acer (1)                            -16
 Apple                                21.1
 Gateway                               5.2

Germany, although not reaching the European average growth of 19 per cent, improved slightly on the growth it achieved in the first quarter of 1998 (10.9 per cent), and shipped 1,128,583 PCs in the second quarter.

Growth was hampered by a depressed consumer market which continued to suffer from price wars and increasingly fierce competition from supermarket PC sales. The corporate sector, however, continued to grow steadily due to a more relaxed economic situation.

 NETHERLANDS
 (1) Packard Bell/NEC: consolidated data for Packard Bell, NEC, ZDS and
 Brett Computers
 (2) Acer: consolidated data for Acer and Texas Instruments
 (3) Fujitsu: consolidated data for Fujitsu, ICL and Aquarius
 VENDOR                         % GROWTH
 Compaq/Digital                     38
 Dell                              139.3
 IBM                                13
 Hewlett Packard                    -0.7
 Toshiba                            27.7
 Laser                               5.5
 Tulip                             -39.4
 Packard Bell/NEC (1)              221.6
 Acer (2)                          -46.2
 Fujitsu (3)                        83.3
 

 The Netherlands had a growth rate of 20 per cent, just above the European
 average.
 As in the past few quarters, the PC market continued to profit from a very
 healthy economy, which has seen steadily dropping unemployment
 figures.
 Compaq/Digital holds a market share of 30 per cent and shipped more than
 twice the amount of its closest competitor, Dell. However, Dell achieved a
 growth rate of 139 per cent in the second quarter of 1997.

 
 ITALY
 (1) Acer: consolidated data for Acer and Texas Instruments
 (2) Packard Bell/NEC: consolidated data for Packard Bell, NEC, ZDS and
 Brett Computers
 VENDOR                           % GROWTH
 Compaq/Digital                       47.7
 IBM                                  18.7
 Hewlett Packard                      21.5
 Olidata                               9.2
 Olivetti                            -34.8
 SNI                                  -7.8
 Acer (1)                             26.3
 Packard Bell/NEC (2)                 59.7
 Apple                                 2.9
 CDC                                   4.8

 Italy could not achieve the same high growth rate as in the first quarter
 of 1998 (18.6 per cent), but still grew at 10.7 per cent in the second
 quarter of 1998.
 A clear trend towards the top PC brands can be seen during the second
 quarter, with virtually no price difference between clone PCs and leading
 PC brands.