Canon, the world?s biggest camera maker, is doubling the number of outlets and boosting its marketing workforce in the Asian nation to tap the company?s fastest-growing major market, Masaya Maeda, said in an interview Tuesday in Tokyo.

The company forecasts sales volume will rise 10 percent in China this year, while growth in developed nations will likely remain small, Maeda said. China accounted for about 15 percent of Canon?s camera sales in 2009, he said.

The value of digital camera exports in Asia excluding Japan more than doubled to 30.1 billion yen ($334 million) in January from a year earlier, overtaking Europe and North America to become the world?s biggest market, according to the Camera & Imaging Products Association. Worldwide shipments rose 59 percent, the Tokyo-based industry group said.

Canon was the market leader in China with a 28 percent share in 2008, while Sony Corp. ranked second and Samsung Electronics third, researcher CCID Consulting Co. said March 19 last year. Camera shipments to China will probably increase to about 12 million units in 2011 from 9.2 million in 2008, CCID said at the time.

Source : Konaxis