Growth Tops 50%* In Europe; Over 336,000 Units Shipped; 13.9%* Market Share
Middle East - Packard Bell, one of the top five home PC brands in Europe and the consumer brand of NEC Computers International, has announced it sold more units than any other PC maker in Western Europe consumer desktop market in the third quarter of 2005.
According to preliminary figures from IDC, Packard Bell shipped 336,693 consumer desktops in the third quarter, representing a 52.2% surge in sales, when compared to the same quarter in 2004. Packard Bell's market share grew to 13.9% in Q3, up from 10.3% in the same quarter last year, putting Packard Bell ahead of its competitors.
"We're very proud of our strong desktop performance at this crucial time of the year," says Alexandre Vecchietti, Product Marketing Director EMEA - Home Business Unit at Packard Bell. "It demonstrates the attractiveness of our desktop offer and shows that we're on track to record a fourth consecutive year of growth."
According to Christina Stylianou, Director, Sales & Marketing, Business 2 Consumer for interFRONTIERS, Packard Bell's Business Development partner for the Middle East, "The new figures from Europe are very encouraging for us and we expect to see some of this filter through to our region in Middle East and (English speaking) Africa."
The growth in sales reflects the interest generated in the consumer market by Packard Bell's current line-up of desktops, including the top-selling iMedia and iXtreme Gold models. Launched for the critical back-to-school period, both desktops feature consumer-friendly innovations, such as pre-loaded Symantec Internet Security and Skype internet telephony software. The iXtreme Power takes security to a new level with an integrated fingerprint reader that uses award-winning TruePrint technology from AuthenTec.
"With the appointment of Grand Stores in the UAE and plans to announce other distribution partners throughout the region shortly, we are confident that our presence will be firmly established by the end of 2005," continued Stylianou.
*Preliminary figures from IDC - October 2005
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About Packard Bell
Operating in Europe since 1991, Packard Bell is the consumer division of NEC Computers International and the number one home PC brand in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK (Source: IDC - January 2005). As consumers have become more tech savvy and discerning, and the world of personal computers and home electronics have converged, Packard Bell has continued to extend its brand and expand its range of products, which today includes leading-edge desktops, notebooks and digital entertainment solutions (MP3 players, video players/recorders, home networking and flat-panel TVs). Packard Bell's unswerving dedication to the consumer market is embodied in its recognised ability to anticipate and meet the ever-changing users' needs.
For more information, please visit http://www.packardbell.com
About interFRONTIERS:
interFRONTIERS has been formed by a team of professionals who have held top positions with IT and blue chip organisations of other sectors in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. They have brought extensive experience in the areas of sales, marketing, product, and channel and brand management to the company.
interFRONTIERS provides comprehensive information for markets in all three regions - Europe, Middle East & Africa; a network of business and consumer partners in many of these countries who are currently operating in the fields of IT and communications and a team of professionals who can cost-effectively manage the business development plans for clients and have the know-how and expertise, to offer a comprehensive range of services, from market assessment study to the development and management of a distribution system for products and services.
interFRONTIERS currently represents the business interests of NEC, Packard Bell, Bintec, Focus Multimedia, Buena Vista Games and Fun & Learning within these regions.
For more information: http://www.inter-frontiers.com
For more information on this press release, please contact:
Mita Srinivasan
Tel: +971 4 3625484
E-mail: mita@themarketbuzz.net.
Laurent Samama
Tel: + 33 155 23 76 52
Email: laurent.samama@packardbell.com
© Press Release 2005
