Acer bullish in Madrid

The PC vendor is confident about its future at its global conference

Gianfranco Lanci, president of PC giant Acer, has used the vendor's global conference in Madrid to outline the company’s channel strategy following its offer of intention to acquire Gateway.
However, the offer has not been well received in the US, where angry Gateway shareholders are suing the company, claiming it was undervalued.
Despite this, the Gateway has since asserted its right to first refusal for Packard-Bell – a move Lanci states will allow Acer to focus on multi-branding as it looks to build on its growth in the channel.
"Our channel strategy will be very different from our competitors. The market is changing where users have different needs for our products,” he said. "We do not want to confuse our customers and think that multiple branding is the future. One brand is no longer good enough to address user needs."
Lanci also revealed he is confident Acer will leapfrog Chinese rival, Lenovo, before the year is out.
"By the end of the year Acer will certainly be the third biggest PC vendor in the world without doubt. We are very confident of that. By combining Gateway and Packard Bell we will have a 40 per cent market share in Europe alone."