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UK, France and Germany PC shipments moving on up

Jumps more than nine per cent as laptops drive sales growth

Western Europe PC shipments have grown by a healthy 9.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2006.

According to preliminary results from technology research firm Gartner, 11.2 million units were shipped in the second quarter of 2007, with demand for laptops pushing up sales across the UK, France and Germany.

It said the trend for mobile PCs displayed changing consumer attitude from a "nice-to-have" device to a "must-have" device.

Of the big computer makers, Gartner said Dell's fortunes continued to slide in the UK and French markets. It recorded a seven per cent year-on-year slip compared to the other four leading vendors in the UK, all of which saw growth above the market average.

Dell performed similarly poorly in France with low demand for desktop PCs said to be to blame for the direct firm's results.

Acer had a particularly strong quarter compared to the same time last year, with Gartner attributing success to retail expansion in the UK channel as well as its partnership with Dixons.

Acer also reduced the gap with French number one Hewlett-Packard, shipping only 18,000 fewer units than its rival.

Gartner said "attractive broadband deals, subsidised PC selling strategies and an aggressive price war" had triggered strong growth for the big PC vendors in the UK.

Total PC shipments in the UK grew eight per cent to 2.1 million units in Q2 2007 compared to the same period last year.

France shipments were said to be up nearly eight per cent with a total of 1.85 million units for Q2 2007. The country also saw a leap in demand for mobile PCs and clocked up consumer market growth of some 19 per cent.

Lenovo, meanwhile, jumped ahead of NEC to claim the number four position with Gartner pointing to the firm's recent acquisition of the IBM PC business for its strong performance in Q2. It said Lenovo recorded a double-digit year-on-year growth.

Over in Germany, PC shipments totalled two million units in this year's Q2, up 5.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2006. Consumer spending was up 4.8 per cent while the professional segment grew 6.3 per cent.

Although compared to France and the UK, Germany's figures were somewhat lower, Gartner said the market was in a much healthier position than a year ago with mobile PCs again leading the pack, up 15.5 per cent from the second quarter of 2006.

Gartner added that Fujitsu Siemens was the only vendor recording a decline in that region.

More from Gartner here. ®

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