Acer computer sales top HP and Dell

Almost 70 per cent of the units shipped were mobile PCs

PC shipments in western Europe totalled 20.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of four per cent on the same period in 2008, according to analyst Gartner.

It is the first time since 2008 that the UK, France and Germany have all posted a growth in sales.

"The western European PC market performed better than expected. Despite the tough economic conditions, the consumer PC market provided vendors with a source of growth," said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst at Gartner.

Acer moved to the top position in western Europe, achieving 33.9 per cent growth to corner almost a quarter of the market. HP and Dell both saw sales continue to fall in the period.

PC shipments in the UK totalled 3.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of 3.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2008. Almost 70 per cent of the units shipped were mobile PCs.

PC shipments in France totaled 3.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of 4.5 per cent on the year-ago quarter, while shipments in Germany led the recovery, totalling 4.2 million units in the quarter of 2009, an increase of 9.9 per cent.

The professional PC market declined 10 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2009 as demand from businesses remained weak owing to budget restrictions – a trend Gartner expects to continue in 2010.