Toshiba posted sales increases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Saudi Arabia during 2002, despite barely featuring on sales charts there less than three years ago, according to figures from IDC, the independent market research firm. The company's own estimated figures indicate the same growth pattern in Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Oman, making the Japanese manufacturer the fastest-growing supplier in the region.
The new IDC figures for the full year 2002 show Toshiba products with 117.7 percent annual growth in the UAE, 52.4 percent in Egypt, and 178 percent in Saudi Arabia. Market share has grown to 21,2 percent in the UAE (17,7 percent in 2001), in Egypt to 23.8 percent (18.9 percent) and in Saudi Arabia to 13.2 percent (7.8 percent).
Growth in the last quarter of 2002 was even more impressive compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. In UAE, volumes rose by 183.4 percent to give market share for the period of 23.3 percent (17.3 percent).
In Egypt volumes were up 202.4 percent giving a 22.9 percent market share (5.7 percent), and in Saudi Arabia by 365.8 percent taking market share from 4.8 to 19.8 percent. IDC's quarterly report singles out Toshiba in Saudi Arabia for “turning in an aggressive performance during Q4 2002, with promotional campaigns running weekly in major local newspapers”.
Ahmed Khalil, regional manager of Toshiba's Middle East computer systems division, said sales volume and market share have been growing since the latter part of 2000. “This upward trend is accentuated in the figures for the entire 2002 trading period, especially so in the last quarter,” he added. “Our aim is to be number one across the entire region and we're all on the way to achieving that.”
Since October 2000, Toshiba's total Middle East market share has soared from barely 10 percent, firmly establishing the brand in the Number two position and rapidly closing on the market leader. The phenomenal growth was first triggered by a decision to focus on the Middle East as a prime growth market, according to a company press release.
As a result, control of the region was shifted in April 2000 from Singapore to the company's European headquarters in Germany, thus shortening the supply chain and moving closer to customers. Since then, Toshiba's Middle East computer division has launched a succession of new products and set up a network of service partnerships across the region.
The Computer Systems Division of Toshiba Europe GmbH is an international vendor for mobile computing solutions. In addition to notebooks, the company offers servers in Europe, Middle East and Africa under the Toshiba brand name. Headquartered in Neuss, Germany, the Computer Systems Division of Toshiba Europe GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Toshiba Corporation, the world's eighth-largest computer and electronics company. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
