PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
The latest retail sales figures reveal that January 2012 sales were down 0.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis from January 2011.
Even though there was a boost in sales over the Christmas period, total Q4 UK PC shipments for 2011 fell 19.6 per cent annually to 2.95 million. The UK’s decline exceeded that of the other major western European markets, with French Q4 shipments falling 11.8 per cent and the German market contracting by 8.2 per cent.
Helen Dickinson, Head of Retail, KPMG, said: “After a stronger than expected December, these latest figures are rather sobering. The return to negative like-for-like sales reflects the trend seen throughout most of 2011 and is a stark reminder of the challenges facing retailers.”
UK PC market leader HP suffered a sales slump of 27 per cent in Q4, and Dell saw its quarterly shipments fall 32.2 per cent.
It seems it’s not all doom and gloom for the UK PC market, Apple was the quarter’s only big winner, with shipments growing 17.2 per cent, seeing its market share swell from 6.2 to 9.1 per cent over the past 12 months.
