HP sold more PCs across Western Europe than any of its rivals, including nearest challengers Acer and Asus, to claim a 22.9 percent share of the fiercely contested market in the first quarter of 2012.
According to the latest data from the research company Gartner, HP comfortably outsold the likes of Lenovo, Dell and Asus, although Acer did manage to earn a 14.6 percent share of the market. Sales of professional devices were among the most popular for HP as it maintained its position at top of the pile across the euro zone and in the UK.
Taking the region as a whole, the first quarter of the year saw PC sales decline by roughly three percent overall, with demand reportedly dropping off most sharply in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. Sales of laptops and desktops were also down compared with the same period of 2011 in Germany and France but not in the UK, where there was moderate growth, according to Gartner.
"After a decline of 16 percent in 2011, the UK PC market showed stability in terms of shipment volume," commented Ranjit Atwal, Gartner's research director. "Shipments of professional PCs three percent in the first quarter of 2012 but it remains to be seen if this is this is a sign of real demand or just inventory refreshment."
HP retained its position as the UK's leading supplier of PC products, ahead of Dell and Acer, who ranked second and third respectively, with the former losing market share as the latter made gains.
Gartner's analysis of attitudes and prospects within the Western European PC market suggested that many retailers are biding their time commercially ahead of an anticipated influx of ultrabook offerings from the world's leading computer companies. A growing prevalence of Intel's Ivy Bridge processing technology and of the Windows 8 operating systems are also expected to have a notable impact on the continent-wide PC market over coming quarters.
"PC vendors are all waiting for ultrabooks and Windows 8-based PCs to enter the market and the way they can differentiate themselves from their competitors will again come down to price, unless there is innovation in form factors," Mr Atwal added.