The electronic consumer goods market in Romania reached the value of EUR 349 million in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 4 percent, according to the most recent GfK TEMAX report.

The biggest increase of 18 percent was recorded in the telecommunications sector, reaching the value of EUR 88 million. According to GfK, the smartphone segment increased by 58 percent in the first quarter of this year, mainly due to the new smartphone models launched in recent periods. In the case of basic mobile phones, a lower demand for these products triggered a decrease of 29 percent for this segment.

The photo sector had a year-on-year increase of 11 percent in the first three months of 2013, reaching the value of EUR 9 million. “While the compact devices brought 2 percent added value on the market, the D-SLRs double-digit increases saved the sector. Despite lower volumes, the compacts double-digit price increases maintained the segment on a positive growth,” shows the report.

In the office equipment segment, the value of the printers and multifunctional devices was EUR 8 million in the first quarter of this year, up 3.9 percent over the same period in 2012, while the laser printing segment exceeded its flat level from the last quarters. Inkjet technology remained on a negative trend in the first three month of this year, but overall, “the office equipment sector showed a slight recovery after a long period of stagnation,” according to GfK TEMAX.

The IT segment recorded a year-on-year increase of almost 1 percent, to the value of EUR 105 million. The media tablets had the highest increase in this sector, while laptops recorded a slight decrease. According to the report, PCs and monitors showed the heaviest decrease in the first quarter of 2013.

The small domestic appliances segment increased 0.9 percent between January and March this year, compared to the same period in 2012, while the major domestic appliances sector decreased by 2.1 percent, down to EUR 58 million. “This slow start was caused mainly by the same trend as in 2012: the cooking free standing products, refrigerators and washing machine markets slowly decreased, while ovens, hobs and hoods registered important increases,” reads the report.

The consumer electronics segment also went down in the first quarter of 2013, reporting a 2.3 percent decrease and total sales of EUR 57 million.

Find the entire GfK TEMAX report on Romania here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Photoxpress)