Context: EMEA printer shipments on the up

Printer sales topped 9.4 million units during Q1 across EMEA, claims analyst

Jeremy Davies: Printer shipments growing fast in Central and Eastern Europe

Printer shipments in EMEA grew by 0.45 per cent year-on-year to 9.4 million units during the first quarter of 2010, according to market analyst Context.

The firm cited the emerging economies within EMEA for driving much of the quarter’s growth.

Jeremy Davies, chief executive at Context, said: “While growth in printer shipments in Western Europe has not yet recovered, with unit sales for the quarter down 2.7 per cent compared to a year ago, the Central Asian countries grew fastest, followed by Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe.”

Shipments of multi-function printers grew by 14 per cent year-on-year during Q1, while sales of single-use devices declined by 0.74 per cent.

Context said the growth of multi-function printers could be attributed to the fact that many businesses were whittling down their printer fleets in a bid to cut costs, resulting in single-use devices falling out of favour.

Hewlett-Packard maintained its position as the top-selling printer vendor within EMEA during Q1, with its products accounting for 43.8 per cent of units shipped. Epson came second with 15.9 per cent and Canon third with 14.8 per cent.