(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| PC Sales in Fifth Week of Nov. Approach Record High
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December 28, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Sales of personal computers in the fifth
week of November continued to be brisk in Japan, posting a nearly 20
percent increase over a week earlier.
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PC sales in the fourth week of November had already exceeded the peak
figure of the year-end sales campaign a year earlier.
According to figures collected by GfK Japan
Ltd., PC sales at about 2,000 stores during the fifth week of November
(Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, 1998), were up 19.2 percent in volume and increased
18.2 percent in value from the previous week. (See
table.)
GfK Japan is an information service company that deals with POS data
of electric appliance retailers.
If this trend continues, sales will likely exceed the highest level since
the research started in April 1996. The record high was recorded in
the fourth week of March 1997.
In comparison with sales in the same week last year (Dec. 1-7, 1997),
sales increased 77.9 percent in volume and rose 75.5 percent in value.
The average sales price dropped by 2,130 yen from 232,270 yen (US$2,000)
to 230,140 yen (US$1,980).
Desktop/tower models are selling at an especially brisk pace. And sales
of desktop/tower PCs had higher growth rates (compared to the previous
week) than the growth rates of notebook PCs for the second straight
week.
Tower models are popular in this winter's sales campaign as are models
with LCD monitors. The sales volume of tower-type PCs was nearly five-fold
the level of the same week last year.
Customers who need expandability tend to prefer tower models, and those
preferring to save space tend to buy thin desktop models.
The data GfK Japan releases are from about 2,000 outlets of 41 firms.
GfK Japan selected the 41 firms in 1996 and has since been releasing
their data.
GfK Japan covers a greater number of outlets with combined unit-based
sales accounting for about 10 percent of Japan's PC shipments and about
25 percent of total retail sales.
The following graphs are at the Nikkei
Market Access Web site in Japanese only:
- Trends in the number of (all types of) PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount (in money) of (all types of) PCs in a week.
- Trends in average sales price of (all types of) PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the number of desktop PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount of desktop PCs in a week.
- Trends in the average sales price of desktop PCs in a week.
- Trends in the number of notebook PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount of notebook PCs in a week.
- Trends in the average sales price of notebook PCs in a week.
Table: PC sales in the fifth week of November 1998 (GfK Japan survey)
Comparison
with the same week in the previous year refers to Dec. 1-7, 1997 |
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(return to news)
Related story: Japan's
PC Sales in 4th Week of Nov. Reach High Level
(Nikkei
Market Access)
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