IFR Monitoring Reports: HP Hits 40 Percent Shelf Share for Multifunction Devices in Mexico

Niagara Falls, NY, August 14, 2009 --(PR.com)-- IFR Monitoring reports significant changes in the Multifunction Device landscape throughout retailers in Mexico.

For the first time ever recorded by IFR Monitoring, HP exceeded 40% share of shelf across Mexico retailers for MFD (Multifunction Devices). HP has hovered in the mid to high 30-range since 2007. In July 2009 HP broke the 40% share of shelf barrier to hold 40.2% of all MFDs at Mexico retailers.

While this is a first for HP, the landscape for MFDs is changing. Since August 2008 Epson has slowly climbed from 12.9% share of shelf to 17.8% in July 2009, ranking second overall.

Brother, Canon and Lexmark are strong contenders and very active players in the MFD market place. In July 2009 another record was broken; Brother reached 10.8% share of shelf, the highest share ever recorded for the brand. Brother has also increased its share within a multitude of retailers in July 2009 making it a must-watch brand as the year progresses.

Canon, another strong brand in the segment has continued to slowly decline in share almost every month since March 2008. The brand held a strong 18.3% share then, and now holds 11%, a decrease that has allowed HP and others gain traction. Canon has also played a dynamic role within retailers these past few months. For example, in April 2009, Canon held a strong 13% share of shelf at Office Max, just three points off from second rank to a never-before-seen low of 3.7% in July 2009, placing fifth.

Lexmark has been a consistent player in the MFD segment taking 13.1% share in July 2009, a decrease of 2% from the same month a year ago. The brand has stayed within a few percentage points of its current share level for most of 2008 and 2009 YTD.

Kodak entered the MFD market in 2008 and has steadily increased share by edging out historical players like Oki, Samsung, and Xerox. The brand currently holds a total share of 3.9%.

Within Retailers, Shelf-Share Is More Dynamic

Within specific retailers, the shelf-share becomes more dynamic. In Office Max HP hit 53.7% share of shelf for the first time in July 2009, a significant increase from 42.7% share just three months prior. The activity for Canon, Epson, Lexmark and others is also just as dynamic. In April 2009, Canon held a strong 13% third place share, but fell to fifth place with 3.7% share in July 2009.

The market truly is dynamic and exciting for MFD, and at the retailer Liverpool the proof is in the share. In April 2009, Canon held the largest share of MFD with 38.9%, but has since dropped to 29% giving way to HP and Epson.

At Office Depot, HP’s share dropped eight points to 33% in May 2009 and hasn’t recovered since, while Brother has continued to increase by one to two percentage points each month holding a wavering second rank.

In North America A Diverse Picture for HP

In Canada and the USA, HP’s shelf-share is quite different. In Canada, HP’s MFD share has remained in the low 30’s since February 2008 while in the USA, HP’s share ranged from 41-44% for the same time period. This diverse picture exists mainly because Brother, Canon, Lexmark and Samsung have stronger shares in Canada. For MFD, a key dynamic between both Canada and the USA rests mainly in a war between Canon and Brother for second spot.

This snapshot analysis is provided by IFR Monitoring Shelf Tracking service. IFR Monitoring currently covers over 30 major retailers across 9 key cities in Mexico. In Latin and South America, IFR operates in over 8 countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Uruguay.

The actionable data provided by IFR Monitoring helps retailers and manufacturers measure critical Advertising, Internet and Shelf share across the country and around the world. IFR Monitoring exists in over 60 countries, and is part of the GfK Group, the No. 4 market research company worldwide.

For questions, please contact James Kennedy at JKennedy@ifrmonitoring.com

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