Sales of Dell products in the European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) regions saw a "good bounce-back" in the fourth quarter, according to Mr Jerele Neeld, communications director of Dell EMEA.

Mr Neeld said that while Dell's fourth-quarter results would show a slower market for PCs and electronic devices overall, Europe had performed better than in the past few quarters.

"We have seen a strong bounce-back in Europe for Dell," he said, "more than we have seen for several quarters."

He said the company had continued to recruit staff during the fourth quarter at its sole European manufacturing base located in Limerick. He played down any suggestions of job cuts.

Dell would seek to cut costs by increasing productivity at plants while maintaining recruitment levels, sourcing cheaper components and by further integrating the Internet into the business, said Mr Neeld.

Recruitment during the past quarter has increased staffing levels at Dell's Irish operations to some 5,700 people. The company now employs 4,500 staff in Limerick and an additional 1,200 in Bray. However, the positive news from Dell's European operation was not matched by provisional figures released yesterday by the UK research consultancy firm, Context.

The research group said fourth-quarter PC shipments rose just 6.9 per cent from the year-earlier period. This compares with a growth rate of 11.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 1999. Context said unit growth for all of 2000 was 7.9 per cent.

According to Context's figures for the quarter, Compaq Computer Corp ranked as Europe's leading supplier, with 13.8 per cent of the market.

Compaq was followed by Fujitsu Siemens Computers - a joint venture between Siemens AG of Germany and Fujitsu Ltd of Japan - with 9 per cent , and Dell Computer Corp with 8 per cent.