Lenovo: We anticipate growth in 2009, too

Lenovo Romania, the domestic office of the world’s fourth biggest PC producer, anticipates further growth this year, despite the difficult economic context.

“The crisis everybody has been talking about for quite a while will probably hurt Romania’s economic environment starting this year. Until early 2009, we at least did not feel a slowdown. The fourth quarter was a good one, though there was room for further growth,” stated Aurel Netin, CEO of Lenovo Romania and the Republic of Moldova. “This year I’d be optimistic and further believe in growth. Research firms are also projecting growth for the IT market, though by a one-digit rate this time,” Netin added, without providing further details about the value of turnover or the growth pace forecast for 2009. He says preliminary data for 2008 are pointing to an increase by almost 50% in turnover. Netin is banking on the fact that IT will be an important component of many projects linked to European structural fund accessing, but also on the expansion of the company’s own product range. “Romania has some more catching up to do against developed states as regards the number of PCs per 100 inhabitants, IT expenses per capita or public sector computerisation level”. Netin specified Lenovo ranked third among PC producers in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the data provided by IDC (International Data Corporation). Lenovo last October announced it had too high expectations when it had planned, two years before, to gain a position among the top three players on the Romanian laptop market. Lenovo Romania’s head also says the strategy for 2009 targets stronger presence on the SME segment and retail, a sector Lenovo had not been very dynamic in until last year. In parallel, Lenovo Romania will further operate on the segment of large companies, now generating the biggest revenues. Globally, 31% of Lenovo’s laptop sales were generated by SMEs last year, while sales to final users had a 53% weight. Netin considers this segmentation is valid only in the case of developed markets. He says Romania does not have a mature IT market, yet, in the sense that a major governmental project can upset players’ ranking. “Moreover, we must admit we have strong local assemblers in Romania, but their influence will drop as the share of sold notebooks rises,” Netin said.