IDC Reports Western European Printer Markets Continue to Grow

IDC reported the overall Western European hardcopy market saw a 7.1% year on year (YoY) increase in 1Q2014, with 5.36 million units shipped at a market value of $2.66 billion, up 1.7% YoY.

Analysts claimed it is the fourth quarter of continuous growth in the region, driven by strong expansion in the color laser, color inkjet, and high-speed inkjet segments.

In terms of market segment, total inkjet markets rose 13.4% YoY. Business inkjets showed the most year-on-year growth at 23.6% but consumer markets contracted again. The overall laser market declined. Overall MFP shipments increase by 11.3%, representing a 78% share of all shipments.

With respect to countries, the UK market leads the growth at 22.4%, followed by Germany and France, with hikes of 4.3% and 0.1%, respectively.

“A solid start to 2014 shows that the printer and MFP growth patterns are following the trends and forecasts made by IDC over recent quarters,” said Phil Sargeant, Program Director of IDC’s Western European Imaging Hardware Devices and Document Solutions group. “Commercial markets are showing strong demand for color laser products and business inkjets continue to exhibit strong growth patterns. SMB and enterprise customers are investing in printing and document management, while consumer markets also bucked the trend with higher year-on-year sales.”