Samsung bets on new TV sales increase to 240m euros

Romanians bought almost half a million LCD, LED and plasma TVs last year, worth 200 million euros, this segment being one of the few to have risen amid a "dramatic" fall recorded on the electronics, home appliances and IT&C market, say representatives of South-Korean company Samsung, one of the biggest players on the market.

"The TV market was among the few to see growth last year. In terms of number of units, sales went up by more than 20%, while in terms of value, the market saw a lower growth, by around 15%, largely because the average price of TVs fell," Raul Filip, manager of the audio-video division of Samsung Electronics Romania, told ZF in an interview. "The average price fell not only because of the shelf price decline, but also because of changes in the product mix. Clients went for smaller-screen TVs, and a significant growth was recorded by IT monitors with a TV tuner, which are cheaper than a regular TV. That is why the value increase was slightly lower, though still important amid a dramatic decline of the entire market," he added.

In all, around 480,000-490,000 LCD, LED and plasma TVs were sold, says Filip, adding that data are not 100% accurate. "It's difficult to say exactly how many TVs were sold because there are also a lot of small stores and independent chains on the market, which are not monitored in any way. There are around 500 independent stores in Romania that don't report turnovers to anybody."

Samsung's manager estimates the TV market will go up by "at least 20% in terms of value and 25-30% in terms of number of units" this year.