UK printer hardware shipments decline

Shipments of printer hardware in the UK have declined 11 per cent year-on-year during Q1 2015, so says analyst Context.

Data has also shown that hardware dipped by eight per cent year-on-year in EMEA.

Unit shipments to the Middle East and Africa also dropped by 11 per cent, following weaker demand for printer technologies as mobiles continue to grow in the region.

In addition, laser hardware shipments continued to decline by four per cent year-on-year, while sell-in levels of inkjet hardware were down by 18 per cent.

According to Context, Turkey and UAE are two of the largest printer markets in the region, who also saw double-digit declines, while unit shipments to Saudi Arabia increased by eight per cent during the quarter.

Zivile Brazdziunaite, imaging market analyst at Context, said: “Shipments to Western Europe account for more than 60 per cent of the EMEA total and were flat for the quarter.

“Unit shipments of inkjet MFPs mirrored this overall performance, while the number of laser MFPs shipped to Western Europe dropped by one per cent. This drop comes after a strong performance in previous quarters and an unusually strong Q1 2014.”

In contrast, unit shipments of laser SFPs increased by two per cent, while shipments to Germany and France saw a spike by 10 per cent and nine per cent respectively.