Sony Ericsson sales slide

Sony Ericsson experienced a slide in shipments and sales in the three months ended December 31, 2009

Sony Ericsson handset shipments and sales both dropped by 40 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with the same period in 2008.

It shipped 14.6 million in the quarter, an increase of 3 per cent on the previous quarter, while sales for the quarter were €1.75 billion (1.5 billion), a quarter on quarter increase of 8 per cent. It said the quarterly increase was driven by sales of the Satio and Aino.

Income before taxes for the quarter was at a loss of €40 million compared with a loss of €198 million in the previous quarter.

Sony Ericsson said its market share for the three months ended December 31, 2009, was 5 per cent and expects "slight growth" in units through 2010.

Sony Ericsson president Bert Nordberg said: "The refreshed portfolio, coupled with the business transformation programme has started to positively impact our financial results. Continued cost saving activities and resource realignment are necessary in order to build a leaner, more efficient organisation capable of meeting the demands of the changing competitive landscape.

"We will continue to focus on returning the company to profitability by establishing Sony Ericsson as the communication entertainment brand based on an exciting portfolio of mid- and high-end products, such as our recently announced Android-based phone, the Xperia X10.

"2010 will still be challenging as the full benefit of cost improvements will not impact results until the second half of the year, however we are confident that our business is on the right track."