A tale of two techs

It's been a tough year for the IT sector, mainly due to the delay of several public-sector tenders. However, while some firms are struggling, others managed to improve their results.

Computerland belongs to the first group. "It is hard to imagine a worse year than the current one, as we experienced so many turbulences in the public sector," said Michał Danielewski, CEO of Computerland. "Despite a new law about public tenders and funds that are available from the EU, the staff rotation in the public sector is significant and slows tenders," Danielewski added. The CEO also explained that local elections also caused some stagnation.

During the third quarter of this year, Computerland generated zł.175 million in revenues, which equals a 5.3-percent decrease compared to Q3 2005. The company also posted zł.3.9 million in operating profit, which is a 53.3-percent drop compared to Q3 last year, when the company reached zł.8.3 in operating profit. 

While Computerland battles to reverse its fortunes, its competitor in the market, Comarch, is faring much better. The company generated zł.122 million in revenues in the third quarter, compared to the zł.72 million it posted in the analogous period last year. Comarch's operating profit for Q3 amounted to zł.8.9 million, up from zł.7.2 million on Q3 of 2005.

"These are the best results that have been achieved in the Q3 and Q1-Q3 periods in the company's history," said Rafał Chwast, deputy-president of Comarch.

For Computerland, the highest sales in the Q1-Q3 period came in the banking and financial sector and amounted zł.170 million, which the company said was the effect of contracts with Poland's largest banks.

Comarch posted its best sales figures within the Telecom, Media and IT sectors, which reached zł.73.8 million.