UK enjoys panel sales expansion despite Q4 slowdown

Futuresource figures show flat-panel volume strength in EMEA for the full year

The UK market for professional displays slid 13 per cent quarter on quarter at the end of Q4, making a disappointing end to what had been a strong 2012 overall in flat-panel volumes.

Parmit Bhangal, market analyst for displays at industry watcher Futuresource Consulting, confirmed a Q4 decline of 13 per cent, in quarterly terms, for display sales in this country despite three consecutive quarters of growth.

"This is leading to a very positive full-year 2012 result, and a growth of 23 per cent on 2011," Bhangal told ChannelWeb.

According to Futuresource's latest overall figures, the global market declined 4.6 per cent in volume terms in Q4, to 1.1 million units, but expanded 7.2 per cent year on year. Most countries in western Europe enjoyed growth in Q4, it said.

Professional-grade LED-backlit screens accounted for 21.3 per cent of LCD sales last year, up from 4.7 per cent in 2011. However, the "pure professional" segment lost 14.4 per cent quarter on quarter, affected in part by a decline in education sales in Turkey.

Displays of 50in or more saw sales comprised 30.1 per cent in 2012, up from 24.7 per cent in 2011, with Panasonic still the key vendor despite aggressive moves from rivals.

"This trend is expected to continue through 2013 as vendors expand their product ranges and verticals moving towards more standardised flat-panel solutions," according to Futuresource.

In EMEA more broadly, quarterly growth went to double digits, the analyst said. However, the Asia-Pacific region saw a quarterly sales collapse in volume terms of 28 per cent in Q4 – again against a more fruitful Q2 and Q3.