Japan's PC Sales in Fourth Week of April Brisk
May 24, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Japan's PC sales during the fourth week of April 1999 (April 26-May 2) rose 12.1 percent in units and 9.3 percent in value compared with the previous week.
The survey was made in approximately 2,000 shops for household electric appliances in Japan.
Year-on-year increases were 55.6 percent in terms of quantity and 55.4 percent in monetary terms, according to data collected by Gfk Japan Ltd., information services company handling POS data of 55 companies.
The average retail price dropped 5,573 yen from 227,520 yen to 221,947 yen. (124.26 yen = US$1)
The growth indicates a two-digit growth over a week in the first half of the long "golden week" holiday season, which means it was the first time since the fourth week in March 1999, when sales hit a peak amid a spring sales battle.
The average price for desktop/tower PCs over the previous week dropped by 4,709 yen, and 6,191 yen for notebook PCs. It is the first time in seven weeks since the second week in March that the average price dropped below that of the previous year.
Until the time all models are presented at the storefront, the average retail price is expected to go down slowly.
Gfk Japan collects POS data from 55 IT-related retail sales companies centering on high-volume stores specializing in home electric appliances. It covers about 3,200 stores (as of April 1998) throughout Japan.
In cooperation with Gfk Japan, Nikkei Market Access provides weekly reports of PC sales in volume and value.
The sales data has been based on the same 41 companies (with about 2,000 stores) since April 1996.
The number of PCs sold at the 2,000 stores is estimated to comprise about 10 percent of gross domestic shipments, and when limiting the sales to retail sales channel, the share comes to about 25 percent of such shipments.
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