Dell Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), part of Dell Computer Corporation, the world`s leading direct computer systems company, today announced that in the first quarter of 1999 the company gained the No. 2 position in the Western European PC market with a 9.8 per cent unit market share.
According to IDC data, Dell grew 46.2 per cent in unit terms year-on-year in Western Europe in Q1 99, outpacing the market 2.2 times. In the Western European business PC market Dell also ranked No. 2 with a unit market share of 12.5 per cent following year-on-year growth of 43.3 per cent.
Dell also took the No. 2 position in the EMEA region, up from No. 4 last year, and was the fastest growing top five PC vendor in the region with year-on-year growth of 48.6 per cent.
"Dell has made an excellent start to the year in EMEA, achieving significant growth and cementing our position as a leading vendor in the region. Our continued focus on tightly executing and evolving the Dell direct model has enabled us to firmly consolidate our position in Western Europe where we are now ranked in the top five in eleven of the fourteen Western European markets where we have full-scale operations," observed Jan Gesmar-Larsen, President, Dell Europe, Middle East & Africa. Gareth Martin, Managing Director of Dell Computer in South Africa says: "We are pleased with our local sales and growth, particularly since South Africa has faced a tough trading climate. Increasing pressure in global markets has led manufacturers of PC`s and laptops to cut prices as they chase market share.
The advantages and total cost benefits of Dell`s direct model, coupled with our emphasis on customer service, are becoming increasingly attractive to South African businesses. IT customers are certainly more discerning in their purchases as lowering the total cost of ownership has become a fundamental key performance area for corporates," he says.
"Our local revenue has grown in excess of 100% compared with the same period last year. We have been particularly pleased with the sales of our enterprise products with rapid acceptance of our server and storage products. Despite the tough trading conditions, we are bullish about the future and are currently the fastest growing of our international competitors. Dell plans to open two new factories, one in the USA (Nashville, Tennesee) and another in China. Locally, we are well on our way to achieving 50% of sales over the Internet," says Martin
Product Highlights
Growth for the company was also strong across all product sectors in Q1. The company took the No. 2 position in the desktop arena, with an overall market share of 9.7 per cent. For both notebooks and servers, Dell recorded a unit market share of over 10 per cent for the first time, growing 71.8 per cent and 63.7 per cent respectively year-on-year in terms of units shipped. Dell was the fastest growing top five vendor for notebooks. In workstations, Dell maintained its No. 3 position and recorded its highest ever market share in this sector of 19.9% per cent, having grown at 4.1 times the market rate.
In response to growing customer demand, Dell also announced in Q1 99 that it would factory-install the new Red Hat Linux 6.0 operating system on select, `Red Hat Ready` certified configurations of its PowerEdge servers, Dell Precision WorkStations, and OptiPlex business desktop computers, once again demonstrating the company`s ability to be first to market with the latest, relevant technology for customers. Dell is the first major systems vendor to offer web ordering of systems with Red Hat Linux already installed.
Internet revenues hit $4 million per day Dell continued to see strong online sales in the region, rising to $4 million per day in the quarter, up $1 million per day from Q4 98. With an annual run-rate of $1.6 billion, online sales now account for 25 per cent of Dell EMEA`s business.
Take up of Dell`s Premier Page(tm) service - personalised Internet pages - for corporate, medium and small- sized businesses continued to be strong with 2,200 pages now established for EMEA customers.
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