According to Context, PC sales through the largest W. European distributors are up by 38% Yo-Y on the first 3 weeks of March, as the spread of the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) drives demand for remote-working hardware.
The demand for home-office equipment has lead to 51% Y-o-Y sales growth of notebooks, and a 9% rise in desktops. The increase is greater for business-targeted products, since commercial notebook sales are up by 56% Y-o-Y compared to 44% for consumer-targeted products. The difference is more stark in desktops, with a 16% Y-o-Y increase in just the business-targeted segment.
Leading the W. European growth in notebook sales is Italy, the first European country hit by the outbreak and the first to introduce strict measures to slow down the spread. Italian notebook sales are up by 110% Y-o-Y in the first 3 weeks of March. Spain is next, with growth rate of 87%, followed by Germany (52%), the UK (50%) and France (5%).
Home-working device demand has also lead to a "significant" reduction in notebook inventories in a number of W. European countries. With manufacturing and logistics issues affecting incoming supply (depending on OEM and product category), providing PCs for the rising number of home works can prove a challenge over the next few weeks.
The above mentioned numbers are temporary, being driven by the sudden need to migrate employees to home workers. That said, many organisations will be more aware of the need for sound digital investments, and as such should increase investment in the are over the longer term.
Go PC Sales in W. Europe Up as Covid-19 Drives Demand for Home-Office Equipment
