Acer tightens grip on Middle East's notebook PC market

As one of the world's top five branded PC vendors, Acer has continued to build on its position of strength, consistently taking market share away from its competitors. The company now ranks as one of the top three desktop and notebook PC suppliers in the Middle East region.

In Saudi Arabia, Acer has been the number one notebook PC vendor for 15 consecutive months, recording annual growth of 264 per cent during 2004. Acer now accounts for one in every four notebooks sold in the Kingdom, with a 26.6 per cent market share.

Consolidating its number two position in the UAE, Acer saw growth of 329 per cent last year, attaining 17.6 per cent market share, according to preliminary figures from international analysts IDC. Acer is also the number one notebook supplier in Kuwait, and is in a leading position in the Levant.

Acer now ranks third when notebook and desktop PCs are combined across the entire Middle East and Africa region. It has outstripped the competition in 2004 with an annual growth rate of 60 per cent - the largest increase of any other vendor. In Saudi Arabia, Acer now accounts for 18.4 per cent of the combined market, and 15.4 per cent in the UAE.

"Acer's strategy of bringing the freshest technology to market, combined with its indirect sales strategy and its targeted marketing campaigns, have made it one of the leading players in the Middle East's PC sector last year," said Jyoti Lalchandani, regional director, IDC Middle East & North Africa.

"Its notebooks in particular recorded extraordinary growth in 2004, to a position where it is now the first or second vendor in many countries across the region," Lalchandani added.

Acer's innovative range of "Folio" designed notebook PCs launched during the second half of last year helped drive sales across the region, and its Media Center desktop PCs have also performed well as consumers in the region turn to digital convergence technology.

"The last 12 months have been a defining year for Acer in the Middle East," said Emanuele Accolla, vice president, EMEA, Acer Inc. "We have consistently taken market share away from our competitors across all areas of the business and have dominated the notebook sector in the region, to the extent that in Saudi Arabia alone we have been the number one notebook supplier for the last 15 months."

Meeting the demand from the Middle East's small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) for computing solutions, Acer has developed a portfolio of products including its TravelMate notebook PCs, Veriton desktop PCs and Altos servers, providing SMBs with powerful and affordable platforms from which to run their organizations.

In 2005 Acer will expand its product portfolio as it looks to capitalize on the growing demand for digital convergence technology. A range of digital cameras has been introduced and LCD TVs will follow during the second quarter of the year.

Reflecting the worldwide success it enjoyed in 2004, Acer's global consolidated revenues for the year jumped by 42.7 per cent to US$6.75 billion, up from US$4.73 billion in 2003.

"While other vendors introduce temporary price cuts in an attempt to gain market share, Acer offers customers the latest technology at prices which are always affordable," said Krishna Murthy, general manager, Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd.