Packard Bell sales up 70%

The Chilean unit of US PC manufacturer Packard Bell saw sales grow 70% in 2004, compared to 2003, mostly driven by 500% growth of laptop sales, while desktop sales increased 20%, the company said in a statement. In Chile, Packard Bell has traditionally been related to the retail market but in the past three years the company has secured an important place within the corporate and government markets. In the retail market Packard Bell has a total market share of 12% considering branded and cloned PCs, but within branded PCs alone the company's market share reaches 50%. "The company continues to lead the residential laptop market. During 2004 laptop sales grew 20%, leading [PC sales to] the residential market. In fact, of the 60,000 notebooks sold last year, approximately 10,000 units were sold to this segment, meaning 40% of the total," Packard Bell Chile CEO Francisco de Castro said in the report. For 2005 the company expects to increase sales in all its segments, particularly in laptops and products for digital entertainment. The company also plans to install a regional assembly plant in Chile, to provide PCs for Colombia, Argentina and Peru. These markets show similar penetration levels as Chile. "The decision to centralize the regional center in Chile will allow greater flexibility and reaction speed to answer all our clients' needs," the company's sales and marketing executive director Emmanuel Fromont said in the report.