EGHAM, UK – PC shipments in Western Europe totaled 13.6 million units in the second quarter of 2012, down 2.4% year-over-year, says Gartner.

“Although we saw a slight uptake in mobile PC sales, the Western Europe PC market recorded weak overall PC shipments across all countries,” said Meike Escherich, principal analyst at Gartner.

In Western Europe, mobile PC shipments grew 4%, while desk-based PC shipments declined 12.8% in the quarter. The professional PC market declined 5.3%, while the consumer PC market was almost flat, with 0.4% growth, says the firm.

Despite losing market share, HP retained the No. 1 position in the Western Europe PC market. Acer put in a strong performance, having resolved its inventory issues, increasing its market share 2.7 percentage points, which helped it retain the No. 2 spot. Asus had the best performance among the top five vendors and moved up to No. 3.

Dell struggled to increase its PC shipments and dropped to No. 4. Its transformation from a PC supplier to a solution provider for professional markets is ongoing and has yet to result in an increase in market share, says Gartner.

In the second quarter, UK PC shipments totaled 2.5 million units, down 7.6% year-over-year.

“The UK PC market remained very weak in the second quarter of 2012. It was depressed across the board, with both the consumer and professional sectors exhibiting decline,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.

With the UK PC market shrinking again, PC vendors were under pressure to protect their margins. As a result, the top three had to hold back on price promotions, says the research firm. Collectively, the top three lost more than four percentage points of market share, with all three showing double-digit-percentage declines in shipments.

During the quarter, Dell suffered the biggest fall (23.2%), with its consumer business recording a decline of nearly 40%. HP retained the No. 1 position, but still held less than 20% of the UK market. Acer, which declined last year due to inventory issues, continued to lose market share. Toshiba exhibited the highest growth, albeit following a very weak second quarter of 2011.

PC shipments in France totaled 2.5 million units, up 0.7% compared to the same period in 2011.

“The PC market in France showed some slight improvement in the second quarter of 2012, but this is growth is from a low base, as the second quarter of 2011 saw a decline of 18% year-on-year. The economic uncertainty continued to have an impact on PC spending and consumer confidence,” said Isabelle Durand, principal analyst at Gartner.

The consumer market increased 12%, while the professional market declined 12%.

The mobile PC market accounted for 66% of total PC shipments in France, with volumes increasing 4.5%. Desk-based PCs declined 6% year-over-year, despite good demand for all-in-one PCs.

Acer and Asus showed the strongest year-over-year growth in France. HP maintained the No. 1 position in France, but the gap with Acer has narrowed. Asus grew its market share by 3 percentage points and expanded its presence in the desk-based PC market. Acer increased its PC shipments and did particularly well in the mobile PC market. Lenovo made its debut in the ranking of top five vendors in France, as a result of growth in the consumer and small and midsize business markets.

PC shipments in Germany totaled 2.6 million units, a decrease of 6.5% year-over-year.

Mobile PC shipments stabilized and recorded 3.9% growth, but desk-based PC volumes decreased 20.2%. Consumer and professional market demand declined 8.2% and 4.9%, respectively.

Acer climbed into the No. 1 position in Germany, and it achieved a 29% increase in the professional PC market. Lenovo remained in the No. 2 spot, as a result of strong sales in the retail sector. It also became the No. 1 vendor in the home segment, with a 16% market share. HP dropped to No. 3.