Acer said it has appointed Olayan-ABM as an executive partner to service the $1.4 billion Saudi Arabian IT market, the Middle East's largest.

Acer, the world's third largest PC vendor and the region's leading notebook provider,
said the Saudi Arabian IT market, according to Business Monitor International, is estimated to be worth $5 billion by 2012.

According to BMI, the average annual growth in IT spending in Saudi Arabia is increasing at the rate of 12 per cent through 2012. Sales of computers, including PCs, notebooks and accessories, in Saudi Arabia is expected to reach up to $1.4 billion in 2008.

Arabian Business Machines Company (ABM) with its head office in Riyadh and branch offices in all three regions is a wholly-owned operating company of The Olayan Group.

ABM has a nationwide diversified operation handling a variety of product portfolios. These include office automation technology, detection security products, physical security (storage products), computers, software products and technical services.

'Acer has great recognition and reputation as one of the leading brands in the kingdom,' said Wael Fleihan, general manager, Arabian Business Machine.

'The IT market is significantly contributing to the economic growth of the kingdom and, working with Acer, we aim to make world-class technology readily available across the kingdom.'

As executive partners, ABM will play a vital role in promoting Acer Computer across all the market segments of Saudi Arabia.

'Saudi Arabia is on track to be amongst the world's top 10 most competitive nations by 2010,' said Basem J Salaymeh, country sales manager – Saudi Arabia, Acer Computer.

'Relying on Acer's proven technology will help the Kingdom reach its ambitious goals.'

Saudi Arabia remains one of Acer's strongest performing markets in the Middle East. - TradeArabia News Service