The
printer and copier market in Europe is slowing, according to
analyst Gartner.
The
combined printer, copier and multifunctional product (MFP)
market in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) totalled 23.8m
shipped units in the first half of 2008, an increase of 2.2% said
Gartner.
"The results for the first half of 2008 showed single-digit
growth across the print markets in EMEA, with second quarter
results showing signs of an economic slowdown, which could continue
into the rest of the year," said Tosh Prabhakar, an analyst at
Gartner.
Gartner said economic uncertainty had led to caution among
consumers and businesses. Sales of consumer and office print
devices were down 6% year-on-year in the first half of 2008.
Overall growth was bolstered by double-digit growth in central
Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Central Eastern Europe
recorded 14.9% year-on-year growth, while Middle East and Africa
saw an increase of 14.1% year-on-year.
Although Hewlett Packard maintained the number one position in
the overall EMEA printer, copier and MFP market, Samsung
Electronics recorded the highest year-on-year market growth with a
24.4% increase.
Lexmark continued to lose market share and was no longer ranked
in the top five.
Samsung's product portfolio and success in Eastern Europe and
the emerging markets across EMEA helped the company maintain the
number two position in the page market, said Gartner.
Lexmark's performance remained poor during the first half of
2008 as it continued to focus on the more profitable high-end
workgroup space.
"In the past 12-18 months, Lexmark has been through a lot of
re-structuring and consolidation, which had an impact on the
company's performance," said Prabhakar.