Compaq loses top slot in UK PC market

Dell sold more PCs than any other vendor in the UK in the second quarter, according to preliminary IDC figures. Which means the demon of direct sales stole the number one spot in the UK from under the nose of Compaq. The UK market grew almost 22 per cent against last year’s second quarter. Dell took 19 per cent of the market for the period, showing 43 per cent growth. Dell nudged ahead of Compaq, which secured 16 per cent of the UK market and lagged behind with only 0.6 growth in shipments. This was a reversal of last year's second quarter, where Dell had 16 per cent and Compaq 19 per cent of sales, according to IDC figures out today. IBM took the number three spot, with around seven per cent of the market. However, it showed the highest sales growth at 75 per cent. Packard Bell stood in fourth place, with six per cent, and Hewlett-Packard took fifth place, with just under six per cent. Both HP and Packard Bell showed higher growth than Dell, with 54 and 71 per cent respectively. Tiny Computers clung onto sixth place in UK sales. This is the first time Dell has taken the largest chunk of business in the UK in any quarter. According to Andy Brown, IDC analyst: "The main reasons for the turnaround revolved around the internal problems at Compaq." "In addition, things have not been going as well with Compaq's channel as in the past, and Dell managed to capitalise on this indecision." Dell did very well in selling to the SMB market, according to IDC. Compaq fell down on notebooks, with poor sales in the whole of Europe, but stayed strong in the server and corporate market. "It's very much a two horse race at the top of the UK market," Brown told The Register. "If Compaq managed to re-organise internally, it could possibly make a comeback. "It is still a very volatile situation." As reported last month, Compaq is still the world leader in PC sales, with shipments up 32 per cent in the second quarter. Dell saw worldwide sales jump over 50 per cent for the same quarter. ®