Printer Hardware Sales Fall in Western Europe

Originally written by Joshua Allsopp and published by OPI

Printer sales fall in Western Europe

Sales of printer hardware across Western Europe slumped in the third quarter according to research published by industry data analyst Context.

Q3 unit sales of inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs) across Western Europe have fallen 9% year on year, which has led to distributors experiencing a similar dip in overall sales of printer hardware.

“Q3 2017 sales fell in all categories except for laser MFPs: distributor sales of these devices increased by 2%, driven by the colour laser MFPs subcategory,” said Context Imaging Analyst Zivile Brazdziunaite.

She added: “In contrast, unit sales of laser single-function printers continued to contract, and were down by 15%, as a result of the ongoing switch from single-function to multifunction devices.”

Sales of A4 colour laser MFPs rose 6% year on year. Almost half of all A4 laser printers sold in Western Europe are now MFPs, and the average selling price (ASP) of both mono and colour devices continued to fall.

For example, the ASP of A4 mono laser MFPs was down by 2% and currently stands at €176 ($205), while the ASP of A4 colour laser MFPs is €296, around 3% lower.

Following a decline in previous quarters, sales of A3 colour laser MFPs slightly increased across the region for the quarter, while ASP in the segment continued to fall – down to €2,188 in Q3 2017, a drop of 20%.

Nonetheless, printer giant HP expanded its A3 product portfolio earlier this year and has registered a strong performance in the region.

By country, the biggest declines across the continent were in France and the Netherlands, down 23% and 28% respectively, with the UK flat, Germany down 3%, Belgium down 22%, and Spain down 10%. These more than offset a strong performance seen in Ireland (up 23%) and Lithuania (up 25%).