For the first time last year in France, sales of personal computers and related products exceeded those of consumer electronics, says Paris-based market researcher GfK SA. Sales revenues for what the French call micro-informatique, which includes personal computers and peripherals like CD-ROM drives, posted the fastest growth (16%) last year of the four sectors surveyed – telecommunications (15%), photographic (3%) and consumer electronics (-5%). GfK expects the trend to continue, with personal computer products increasing their share of a total 1996 estimated market of approximately $23,000m to 43% from last year’s 39%. Meanwhile, consumer electronics’ share of the market is expected to drop to 33% from 37%, the researcher said. Two million personal computers were sold in France in 1995, for a total value of approximately $5,000m. The large retail outlets saw their share of those sales climb to 15% last year from 11% in 1994, and are forecast to see it grow to 20% this year, GfK declares. Three quarters of personal computers sold through the retail channel are equipped for multimedia applications.
