In Berlin, in the shadow of IFA, HP brought together more than 100 key partners from nearly 65 companies from 20 CEE countries for its annual Retail Forum.
The purpose of the meeting was not only to present product innovations for the crucial fourth quarter, but above all to outline the company’s strategy in view of the coming ‘AI PC’ era.
HP’s move is a response to clear market trends. After a period of post-pandemic stagnation, the PC industry is hoping for a revival driven by next-generation PCs equipped with dedicated NPUs (Neural Processing Units).
They enable local, faster and more secure processing of AI tasks – from advanced media editing to intelligent assistants – without the need for a permanent connection to the cloud. This is a fundamental shift that hardware manufacturers are looking to turn into a new device replacement cycle.
During the Berlin forum, the company emphasised that its strategy is based on deep integration of AI solutions directly into its PC and printer portfolio. This is expected to translate directly into increased productivity and streamlined workflows in hybrid models.
Sales partners play a key role in this process. HP is positioning them not just as distributors, but as a strategic source of market feedback. It is their direct experience with end customers that is expected to help them rapidly adapt and improve their AI era product offerings.
The meeting was therefore a clear signal that HP intends to actively shape a new product category in Central and Eastern Europe.
Instead of unilateral communication, the company relies on close collaboration with the sales channel, recognising it as an essential element in the process of innovating and gaining a competitive advantage.
