Growth in the EMEA POS market during 2005 was driven primarily by new store growth in segments such as supermarkets and "hypermarkets." Specifically, the "Hypermarket/Supercenter" segment added over 200,000 POS terminals during the year, the analyst firm said.

"Retailers in all vertical segments are looking more to purchasing their POS hardware and software from different vendors," IHL noted. "With few exceptions, the dual vendor strategy is being pushed by lower cost hardware options that run on Microsoft Windows operating systems and Linux." Intel Celeron and AMD Sempron processors were the most popular choices for new POS terminals purchased in 2005, according to IHL's data.

"Although several regional economies continue to struggle, POS shipments continue to pull out of an early decade slump as retailers upgrade their infrastructures," said Greg Buzek, president of IHL Consulting Group. "Supermarkets and Hypermarkets are leading the way with new innovative systems tied to loyalty programs and Self-Checkout."

Further details on IHL's "2006 Europe/Middle East/Africa POS Terminal Study" are available here.

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