IDC predicts printer recovery

Hard-hit EMEA hardcopy peripherals market to stage "fragile recovery"

The print sector will enjoy a CAGR of 2.8 per cent between 2009 and 2013

The embattled EMEA hardcopy peripherals market is set to return to growth as the economic slowdown eases, according to IDC.

The market watcher predicts the sector will enjoy a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8 per cent between 2009 and 2013, despite recent double-digit drops. Strong sales of colour laser MFPs and monochrome laser printers will drive the market.

The western European sub-region will increase by 1.7 per cent (CAGR) between 2009 and 2013 to 31.2 million units.

However, IDC warned that a number of large economies, including the UK and Spain, suffered a further drop in shipments in Q3 and that any recovery could prove fragile.

The printer channel will also have to adjust to changes in end user purchasing behaviour as a result of the slowdown, IDC warned.

Phil Sergeant, research manager at IDC covering Western European print markets, said: “For larger companies and corporate customers, managed contracts rather than outright purchases will become a more attractive option, whereas consumers and small businesses will take more factors into account before purchasing new devices.”

The colour inkjet MFP segment is among those earmarked for growth, with shipments set to rise at a CAGR of 4.83 per cent to 29.8 million units.

Colour laser MFP shipments, meanwhile, are set to more than double over the period from 1.1 million to 2.6 million units.

Elsewhere, colour laser printer shipments are forecast to boom from 1.9 million to 2.9 million units. Inkjet printer shipments, however, are set to go the other way, declining 14.1 per cent a year to just over three million units.