Computer retailer Optimus aims to re-gain top spot

Rising income and lowering costs - this is the shortest description of retailer Optimus' operations in the first half of the year. The company increased its income from zł.75.4 million in the first half of 2003 to zł.89.5 million this year and its net profit was zł.2.2 million. Currently Optimus is focusing on its primary activity of selling computer hardware. The company lowered its spending by cutting management and sale costs. Optimus is now in the process of regaining its leading position on the computer hardware market. Analysts say it managed to increase its PC sales by 11% in Q1 of 2004, supplying the market with more than 10,000 new computers. This gave it fourth place in the market rankings, right behind NTT, HP and Dell. In 2004 Optimus won 3 out of 8 tenders to supply schools with computers. It also plans to take part in similar tenders financed by the EU, worth some zł.1.5 billion scheduled over the next three years. Should only a part of this sum go to Optimus, next quarters' outcome might be even better. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) D.W.