"Last year's rise in the retail sector amounted to some 42 percent over 2005. We can now no longer speak of a spectacular increase due to the maturation of the market," said Draghicescu. The retail segment represents some 30 percent of the company's business, while corporate clients account for the remaining 70 percent, according to the HP representative. The main thrust of the Romanian consumables market is the growth of the printer market.
"However, the consumables market is not directly proportionate with the printer market, because Romanians still use a lot of non-original products. We can therefore not make assumptions about our market share," added Draghicescu. The HP official estimates a domestic consumables market worth some €50 million for 2007. The peripherals market was worth some $50 million (€36.6 million) in Q1 2007, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) market research company. The single-function printer segment has a 49.8 percent share of the total market. Printer sales increased by 37 percent over the first quarter in 2006. "Printers will remain a very important part of the business, since lower prices appeal especially to home users," reads the IDC study.
Color laser printers will be subject to most rapid growth in terms of sales, due to significant price drops and a large number of new models on the market.
"Romanians still use a lot of non-original products. We can therefore not make assumptions about our market share Andrei Draghicescu HP Romania's Market Manager Consumer Supplies
