The number of PCs sold by Western Europe’s largest distributors increased by +3% year-on-year during the first two months of Q3 2018 while revenues grew by +5%, according to data published by CONTEXT, the researcher with access to the major distributors figures.
“As in Q2, PC volume growth was driven by the commercial segment, which saw a +7% rise in sales”, said Marie-Christine Pygott, senior analyst at CONTEXT. “Demand from business buyers was boosted by companies making the transition to Windows 10, the increasing shift to mobile devices, and the general need for product refreshes in the commercial segment.”
Sales of consumer PCs continued to fall, although they improved with the start of the back-to-school season: after a -10% year-on-year drop in Q2 2018, the number of units sold in early Q3 was down by only -1% . Growth in sales of products such as ultrathin notebooks and Chromebooks, which was also noted in previous quarters, was once again insufficient to fully offset weaker demand for mainstream PCs.
Revenues from PC sales were up by +5% on early Q3 2017, driven by a combination of this volume growth and rising average selling prices (ASPs) which were up by +2% in early Q3 2018 to €573. Although ASPs are continuing to increase year-on-year, they levelled off in early Q3 so slowing this trend.
Country Year-on-Year PC volume growth Q3-18 (July+August)
Germany 2.4%
United Kingdom 7.2%
Spain 7.7%
Italy 2.5%
France -12.2%
Netherlands 5.6%
Sweden 22.4%
Switzerland 2.0%
Portugal 7.1%
Austria 3.9%
Poland -8.4%
