Double-digit drop for apathetic European PC market

Channels loath to stock up and consumers more interested in mobile devices, says IDC

A cautious channel and a lack of demand from consumers saw the western European PC market post a double-digit decline in Q3, with Acer again emerging as the biggest loser.

IDC also reports that the UK market was the weakest of the mature territories, with shipments falling 10.9 per cent year on year. Across western Europe, shipments fell 10.2 per cent. Sell-in volumes plummeted 20.6 per cent, as cautious channel players remained wary of getting their fingers burned by excess stock.

Eszter Morvay, research manager for IDC's EMEA personal computing research, said: "However, sell-out continued to improve, albeit moderately, indicating sustained focus on inventory depletion across several countries."

Across EMEA, total unit shipments dropped 3.8 per cent annually to 27.8 million. HP is back in the box seat in the vendor rankings after posting shipment growth of 3.4 per cent. The vendor holds a 20.7 per cent slice of the market.

A year ago Acer held a two-point lead over its US rival, but the Taiwanese firm now lags eight points behind HP after a torrid year in which its chief executive jumped ship, and its European channel was stuffed with a surfeit of inventory. Acer's Q3 PC shipments across EMEA plummeted 42.1 per cent, leaving it with a market share of 12.7 per cent.

Acer's Taiwanese compatriot Asus enjoyed a far better quarter, with shipments rising 17.8 per cent, allowing it to leapfrog Dell and take third spot. Asus now holds 10.2 per cent of the market, with Dell taking a 9.4 per cent EMEA market share. The Texan vendor's quarterly shipments across EMEA dropped two per cent year on year.

Lenovo, in fifth, was the quarter's star performer, with shipments growing 31.8 per cent and market share up more than two points annually to 8.1 per cent.