Source: Futuresource Consulting
With more than 6,000 European sales between January and June this year, installations of retail photo equipment units, including minilabs and instant print kiosks, grew by nearly 2.5% in the first half of this year, to exceed 81,000 units. This sector is characterised by an ongoing increase in the overall installed base of instant print kiosks and the gradual transition from wet to dry minilab technology, giving retailers the opportunity to offer a wider portfolio of products, such as duplex prints and photobooks.
Despite the growth, the number of installations was lower than had been anticipated by many of the equipment vendors, with some retailers retaining older wet minilabs or instant print kiosks for longer than had been expected. There has been more optimism for the second half of 2010 and into the first half of 2011, as smaller retailers may find it easier to obtain financial support to purchase equipment, and more retailers overall will begin to evaluate replacing older wet minilabs with dry minilabs.
Dry minilab installations increased by 30%, to nearly 1,800 units, with Spain, the UK and Italy accounting for over 65% of sales. Instant print kiosks increased to more than 67,000 installed units, a rise of 3.6%, with nearly 50% of sales being made to Germany. There were 167 sales of wet minilabs, of which over 80% were replacement units and the overall installed base fell by 6%.
In the UK, 87 dry minilabs were sold, taking the installed base to 400 units, while new sales of 600+ instant print kiosks increased the installed base to just under 8,750 units.
Please click here for homeofdrylab.com
Please click here for nexlab.co.uk
