Vira Intanate, CEO of IT distribution at SVOA, yesterday said the firm would turn its focus to such trade since customers are more confident buying IT products from modern channels.

The firm will also concentrate on the consumer and government markets - especially in the first and second quarters - since these segments have high potential. The company sells through 105 dealers and seven major modern trade outlets across the country.

Vira said SVOA expected the PC market this year to grow by 10-15 per cent or about 1.8 million units - one million desktop computers and 800,000 mobile PCs.

The firm expects to gain an 8-per-cent market share, selling 100,000 desktops and 24,000 notebooks. This would represent growth of about 10 per cent from 2006.

Last year it sold 84,000 desktops and 16,000 mobile computers, which brought revenue of Bt2.7 billion.

Vira said there were about 10 million computers in use in the country, so there is still a great deal of room for expansion in a population of 60 million.

"We have the flexibility to support customer needs and offer quality after-sales service," he said, adding that the company this year will sell "lifestyle" laptop computers to teenagers and new users.

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation