PC sales increase through distribution

Latest GTDC figures saw a four per cent increase in Q3 shipments through global distribution

PC shipments through distribution have increased by more than four per cent in Q3 2010, according to the latest figures from the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC).

Based on figures from analyst Context’s SalesWatch data, the GTDC claimed 34 per cent of all PCs shipped by vendors reached the market via distribution in Q3, up from 29.9 per cent in Q3 2009.

In total, PC sales through distribution have increased 22 per cent in Europe and 17.5 per cent in the US, the organisation said, adding that the positive growth is reflective of a stronger general market. Data for the US was taken from figures gathered by the NPD Group Distributor Track.

Tim Curran, GTDC chief executive, said: “We are seeing bellwether categories like PCs and notebooks return to peak levels achieved prior to when the industry downturn occurred. Many vendors have now turned the corner with their distribution partners.

“Lenovo, for instance, appears to have gained back its ‘mojo’ – ascending in Q3 to the top position in the US notebook distribution market, while generating the highest year-over-year growth in the broader PC distribution category.

“The PC ‘refresh’ in corporate environments has been a key factor for overall category growth, along with consumers continuing their hearty appetite for mobile solutions, boosting notebooks and other mobile computing sales,” he added.

Bob Dutkowsky, chief executive of Tech Data and recently appointed chairman of the GTDC, backed up the figures. “We also experienced considerably better demand than expected in the European market – with sales of desktops and a wide array of mobility products, including tablets, on the rise,” he said.