IT retailers pushing for PC trade-in program

Communications Minister, Gabriel Sandu, said that a proposal on the issue was submitted to the Environment Ministry, and is to be discussed during a government meeting tomorrow. He added that he plans to ask for “millions of euro” for the program that were not used from the Ministry of the Environment budget.

“If the government has already granted bonuses through the trade-in program for the auto industry, the IT industry could also be considered for a similar program, in order to boost modern IT products,” according to the Manager of Fit Distribution company, Marius Ghenea.

The IT distributor manages several e-shops, including PCFun.ro. The President of Flamingo Internaţional household appliances and IT products retailer, Dragoş Simion, said that such a measure should improve IT retail.

“Flamingo Internaţional drew attention to the issue, but did not insist, given the government’s reluctance to grant funds for such a program,” Simion said. He added that a trade-in scheme for personal computers could revive the IT retail in the short-run, a segment that registered a 65 percent drop in sales.

On the other hand, the CEO of Corsar Grup, the company managing the online cel.ro retailer, said that a trade-in program is not useful in current market conditions.

“I see some hurdles, especially in the online field. Recycling a PC is very complicated. I believe that there are no specialized companies for this in Romania. If the state allocated a certain amount of money for an old PC, it would rather be charity,” he said.