PC vendor Acer Inc (宏碁) yesterday said that it is to suspend its business in Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, joining an exodus of the world’s major businesses.
Acer’s move came after lawmakers urged the PC maker and local peers Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) and Micro-Star International Co (微星) to withdraw from Russia.
The three companies were the only Taiwanese firms remaining with operations in Russia, after more than 600 companies pulled out following the invasion on Feb. 24, a Yale School of Management list showed.
“Acer strictly adheres to applicable international trade laws and regulations, and is closely monitoring the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” the company said in a statement yesterday.
“The company is focusing on the safety of all its employees, which includes ongoing efforts to help every individual and their families impacted by the current situation,” the statement said.
Acer has built a sizeable business in Russia, ranking second in terms of PC shipments in the final quarter of last year, behind China’s Lenovo Group (聯想), according to market researcher Statista.
Acer accounted for about 17 percent of total shipments in Russia, the statistics showed. Asustek came next with a market share of 15.6 percent.
Acer yesterday said its revenue last month grew 32.3 percent month-on-month and 9.2 percent year-on-year to NT$30.31 billion (US$1.05 billion).
In the first quarter of this year, the company’s revenue climbed 9.5 percent year-on-year to NT$78.37 billion from NT$71.56 billion, its best first-quarter performance in about nine years, Acer said.
Gaming products posted strong annual growth of 25.9 percent last quarter and commercial products surged 36.9 percent year-on-year, while revenue from desktop computers expanded 30.3 percent.
Acer said its efforts to diversify into new businesses beyond PCs have borne fruit.
Revenue from businesses other than PCs grew 32.1 percent year-on-year, outpacing overall corporate growth, the statement said.
Asustek posted revenue of NT$55.03 billion last month, up about 20 percent from NT$45.9 billion in March last year, according to a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Revenue in the first quarter of the year rose 19.16 percent year-on-year to NT$138.42 billion from NT$116.16 billion.
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