EMEA channel reluctant to take on Acer stock

Acer's EMEA shipments slump by 39 per cent in Q3 as channel exercises cautious stance on placing orders

Acer's inventory woes will have a "permanent impact" on the vendor's fortunes in EMEA, Gartner has asserted.

According to the market watcher, EMEA channel partners have been adopting a conservative position in regard to placing orders with the Taiwanese vendor in the wake of its $150m stock write-off in June.

As a result, Acer's EMEA PC shipments plunged by 39.3 per cent year on year in the third quarter of 2011 to 3.62 million units. Adding insult to injury, the manufacturer also lost its EMEA crown to HP. It grew EMEA shipments by 2.9 per cent to 5.36 million as it managed the impact of separating its PC division better than Gartner expected.

Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal said that Acer had declined by more than 30 per cent in EMEA this year.

"The prolonged inventory clearance will have a permanent impact on Acer, as its direct competitors are securing new channel and retailer partners," Atwal said.

Gartner said the EMEA PC market remained weak in Q3 due to the lower channel sell-in and slow consumer demand. However, the market did exhibit growth of 17.1 per cent when compared with Q2.

Asus saw EMEA shipments power up 13.3 per cent year on year to 2.69 million, enabling it to oust Dell as the region's third-largest protaganist. Lenovo grew EMEA shipments 22.2 per cent to 1.97 million as it exploited HP's strategic issues and Dell's inability to match its prices in the professional market, Gartner said.