DESPITE the economic slowdown, the Sitex information-technology fair saw a record of more than
800,000 visitors - an increase of 50,000 from last year.
Estimated sales revenue for the four-day event - which began last Thursday and ended yesterday - were
also up $5 million from last year's $40 million, hitting record-breaking status.
Mr Edwin Low, chief executive officer of Singapore Expo, which manages the 20-year-old event, said that
there was strong demand for laptops and desktops, followed by digital cameras and MP3 players.
Toshiba Singapore's sales rose by 30 per cent from last year. Suzuki Technology sold 800 laptops this year, compared with last year's sales of 100 units .Mr Low added that sales may be good as -consumers are becoming more prudent by buying more affordable electronic goods in place of bigger-ticket items such as properties and cars.
Asus Technology and Suzuki Technology allowed the trade-in of old goods for discounts on new gear.
Purchaser Susan Koo (pictured) traded in an old notebook, getting a new Suzuki notebook at $1,428 - $60 off its retail price.
As the market is bad, buying a new notebook at a lower price is even more worth it," she said. Cash Converters, which was there to buy second-hand electronics for cash on the spot, saw the total value of second-hand electronic goods sold to them increase by 6 per cent from last year, when they purchased $30,000 worth of goods.
