HP/Compaq should corner 26.4% of Euro PC market

Hewlett-Packard and Compaq will kick Dell off the top slot for PC and notebook sales in the UK. Assuming of course the synergy leveraged in the take over deal doesn't mean they end up selling less PCs combined than they did individually. Which is probably what will happen.

According to Gartner's data for Q2 2001, Dell had 19 per cent of the UK PC and notebook market - 224,900 units. Compaq was snapping at its heels with 16.7 per cent of the market - 197,370 machines. Now HP didn't make it into the top 5 (very nearly, though), and Gartner isn't happy about revealing unit and market share data of players outside the top 5, but take it from me, the combined HP/Compaq effort would give it more than 20 per cent of the sector. Kicking Dell into second place.

Across Europe, where Compaq is top dog for PC and notebook sales, Dell would be left well back in second place. Compaq had 16.6 per cent of the market (1,001,201 units) in Q2, Dell had 11.4 per cent (686,600 units), and HP was fourth with 9.8 per cent (543,013 units).

If you simplistically add HP and Compaq's share together you get 26.4 per cent of Europe's PC and notebook sales - 1,544,214 machines. But they'll probably fritter some of that away.

In Europe, Compaq's percentage market share slipped 7.6 per cent year on year for the second quarter, whereas Dell's grew 12.1 per cent, and HP's 10.9 per cent. In the UK Compaq grew its share by 19.4 per cent year on year, Dell grew its share by 6.3 per cent, and HP's share went down the toilet. ®

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