UK PC market shrinks 15%, 19% across Western Europe

The latest figures for the PC markets of Europe and the UK don’t look at all good. Market researchers Gartner confirmed that in the UK there was a 15% decline in the size of the PC market and across Western Europe the number was even higher at 18.9%. While the economic crisis was the primary factor the dominance of Tablets over netbook was a major factor in causing general PC sales to slump.

Meike Escherich principal analyst at Gartner had this to say:

“The PC market in Western Europe suffered from weak demand in both the professional and consumer sectors, a market which also faced inventory issues caused by overstocking in 2010, this quarter’s results highlight the ongoing weakness of consumer demand, and could indicate a structural change in the market that threatens to continue in the near future.”

Only Apple managed positive growth in both markets, whilst Samsung were the only other manfacturer to have positive growth in the UK. Disappointing figures all round, the crisis at Acer group was the biggest cause of the slump they lost declined over 40% in both markets.

The table below shows the situation in Europe:

Whilst this table shows the situation in the UK:

Company2Q11 Shipments2Q11 Market Share (%)2Q10 Shipments2Q10 Market Share (%)2Q11-2Q10 Growth (%)

Source: Gartner (August 2011).