Plustek bounds over HP in the scanner market

Plustek leapt into first place in the flatbed scanner market in the UK in July, according to market research company Romtec. Romtec, which monitors indirect sales, said that in July Plustek had beaten HP into first place, with a 43 per cent market share compared to 15 per cent. In third place is Umax with 12 per cent market share, followed by Agfa with eight per cent and Epson with four per cent. Canon lags at the bottom of the league table at two per cent, below Visioneer and Primax. Alan Jones, an analyst at Romtec, said the figures were a reflection of shifts in the market. He said: "Plustek is sold predominantly through the retail channel and retail now accounts for a large part of the scanner market". He said Plustek had overtaken HP over the last four months. "Plustek sells mainly parallel scanners which are cheaper than SCSI, while HP relies on its brand name." Jones said that pricing was now a considerable factor in the market because of the shift in the focus of sales. ®