The decline in server sales spread from the US to Western Europe in Q2, with factory revenues down 8 per cent on the same period last year, IDC says. Q2 factory gate revenues were $3.2bn (Q2 2000: $3.7bn),

But sales in Western Europe held up rather better during the quarter than the US, where revenues plummeted 25 per cent, and Japan, which experienced a 20 per cent revenue fall.

Top five Western European vendors by factory revenue share (IDC)

1. IBM 25.6%
2. Compaq 18.7%
3. Hewlett-Packard 17%
4. Sun Microsystems 14.3%
5. Fujitsu-Siemens 9.6%

If the figures are bad news for server vendors as a whole it is good news for IBM, which grew sales in Western Europe at a time when the total market fell, as well as emerging as no.1 vendor.

IBM grew server sales 16 per cent compared with Q2 2000 And Fujitsu Siemens, another top five vendor in the region experienced increased revenue growth, with sales up 15 per cent, compared with Q2, 2000.

Top five Western European vendors by unit shipment share (IDC)

1. Compaq 32.4%
2. IBM 15.5%
3. Dell 13.2%
4. Hewlett-Packard 12.8%
5. Sun Microsystems 6.5%

Shipments in Western Europe were up two per cent to 274,000 during the quarter. Worldwide, server shipments fell three per cent during the period. IDC notes that Dell, IBM and Compaq all increased
shipments by 45 per cent, five per cent and two per cent, respectively. Dell's huge market share growth does not translate through to revenues, which were down slightly compared with Q2 last year. ®