Sharp takes over Toshiba’s PC division

Sharp acquires Toshiba Client Solutions, the PC division of the Japanese group. As of October 1, Toshiba will sell 80.1 percent of its remaining stake in the PC division. Sharp will license the Toshiba name for PCs.

The acquisition involves an amount of 31 million euros. With the sale of its 80.1 percent stake to Sharp, Toshiba believes Toshiba will increase the value of Toshiba Client Solutions, improve its competitive position and ensure further development of the division.

Sharp is a subsidiary of Hon Hai, which operates under the Foxconn name and makes large quantities of electronics, including PCs, for other manufacturers. Sharp licenses the Toshiba brand to continue to market desktop computers and laptops under the Japanese company’s name.

Toshiba transferred its PC production to a separate division called Toshiba Client Solutions on April 1, 2016, as part of a major reorganization at the company. That division started to focus on the business market.

In 1985 Toshiba released its first laptop, the product category with which it mainly made a name for itself in the years that followed. Seven years ago, Toshiba’s PC shipments reached their heyday in terms of numbers; in 2011, 17.7 million PCs were sold. Last year, that number was 1.4 million, according to Reuters.