By Lucas van Grinsven, European Technology Correspondent
PARIS (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) aims to increase its European market share in flat LCD televisions to 20 percent this year after failing to meet demand in late 2005, its European president said on Wednesday.
The Japanese firm, the world's biggest consumer electronics company, climbed to the global No. 1 position in liquid crystal display TVs in the fourth quarter from being No. 4 in the third quarter, according to market research from DisplaySearch. Sales surged 164 percent as a result of its new Bravia models.
In Europe, even though Sony says it increased its share to around 14 percent from well below 10 percent, it is still lagging behind Samsung (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) as the Japanese firm could not fulfil orders.
"We still have huge back-orders from December," Fujio Nishida said at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit.
"It was perhaps still one-third" (of orders), he said.
"This year we expect a 60 to 70 percent increase for the LCD market in Europe. We will more than double (sales) and increase the (market) share to over 20 percent," Nishida said at the summit, held in Paris.
Sony introduced the Bravia brand with the first models fitted with LCD panels from its own joint venture plant with Samsung. Sony previously bought LCD panels from external suppliers.
This meant Sony did not have sufficient access to high quality displays, but also that retailers did not support its products, Nishida added. Continued...
© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved.
| Global Environment | Oct 06 - 8, 2008 | Energy |
| Autos II | Sep 30 - Oct 01, 2008 | Hotels/Casinos |
| Restructuring | Sep 22 - 26, 2008 | Financial Services/Exchanges |
| Autos | Sep 15 - 17, 2008 | Autos |
| Russia Investment | Sep 08 - 9, 2008 | Country Summits |
