The number of PCs sold by Western Europe’s largest distributors rose by +4% year-on-year in July 2018 as demand for commercial PCs remained strong, according to data published by CONTEXT, the IT market intelligence company.
Volume sales of commercial PCs were up by +10% year-on-year in July, following a return to growth in Q1 and a strong increase in sales in Q2 2018. The positive performance in early Q3 2018 was seen across all commercial categories: notebook sales were up by +12.5%, desktops by +4% and PC workstation volumes grew +13%. Ultrathin notebooks, characterised by a z-height of less than 20 mm, remained growth-drivers in the notebook category, while desktop sales continued to benefit from the rising demand for mini PCs.
Sales of consumer PCs, on the other hand, were still weak. While the year-on-year growth trend improved compared to H1 2018, sales were down by -3% in July. Despite growth in some segments, including ultrathin mobiles and Chromebooks, overall demand at the start of the back-to-school season was too soft to reverse the negative trend.
“The commercial segment is expected to remain the stronger in H2 2018 as more companies upgrade to Windows 10, refresh their ageing hardware, and shift towards greater mobility”, said Marie-Christine Pygott, senior analyst at CONTEXT.
Commercial PC volumes yr/yr July 2018
United Kingdom 23.0%
Germany 6.1%
Italy -0.5%
France 2.2%
Spain 20.4%
Netherlands 0.2%
Poland 3.2%
Switzerland 6.1%
Sweden 9.7%
Belgium 22.8%
Austria 14.8%
Portugal 2.7%
