Sony Ericsson has published financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2010. It notes that it had four consecutive quarters of profitability during 2010 and has now shipped over 9 million Android-based Xperia smartphones.
Annual income before tax (excluding restructuring charges) was 189 million Euro for 2010, compared with a loss of 878 million Euro in 2009. The company completed a company-wide transformation programme in 2010, reducing its workforce by approximately 4,000 people and cutting annual operating expenses by more than 880 million Euro.
Sales for 2010 were 6,294 million Euro, down 7% from 2009, although gross margin improved from 15% in 2009 to 29% in 2010. Sony Ericsson estimates that its market share for 2010 was approximately 4% in units and approximately 6% in value. 43.1 million mobile devices were shipped during the year; down on 2009 as the result of the company’s new focus on higher-end smartphones.
Bert Nordberg, President & CEO of Sony Ericsson, said “2010 was a turnaround year for Sony Ericsson. Our four consecutive quarters of profit reflect the success of our shift towards an Android-based smartphone portfolio. We will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of Sony Ericsson in 2011, and as shown by the recently announced Xperia™ arc, we will continue to focus on delivering the most entertaining smartphones worldwide.”