Success in the United States is paramount to the success of point of sale financer ThinkSmart, as European trading has been affected by the strength of the euro versus the US dollar, with Spanish operations suffering in a competitive pricing environment that has forced average transaction volumes lower. Neil Barker, chief financial officer, views the cheap United States imports though as an opportunity. "I think as the price of technology comes down, it's likely more people will look at the opportunity to buy; that then presents the opportunity to sell the Smart Way Leasing deal to them in store," he said.ThinkSmart currently operates in 21 Office Depot stores in Tampa, Florida, forecast to increase by 45 sales points by mid June, with the complete 137-store state roll-out planned by early July. The Florida store roll-out will bring stage two to an end, with the third and final stage a point of presence in all 1191 Office Depot stores country wide, which Barker adds is still under negotiation with the retailer, but is forecast to be completed by the first quarter 2009. Barker said ThinkSmart would provide more clarity to the market regarding the United States roll-out when the half year financials are released on 20 August 2008. "The market we have seen most affected has been Spain. "Spain is a pretty tough retailing environment. In Australia our transaction volumes have been holding up quite nicely; in Spain they have been affected a lot more than Australia. "Spain is a highly competitive market in the electrical retailing business. "The US dollar versus the euro has considerably impacted the price of goods, on top of the competitive nature of discounting in stores. "We've seen an impact on transaction values, but not so in Australia, and to a lesser extent in the UK." Barker comments that price fluctuation of goods due to economic factors does not alter the spending habits of potential customers. "People don't focus on the price of the goods, with purchasing decisions about cash flow, cash flow management and the tax benefits. "If prices move up and down a bit, the actual price of the goods does not affect the penetration rate of the product in store." JPMorgan expects the United States Office Depot roll-out to be successful, stating in a report released earlier in the week: "If all goes according to plan, and we have no reason not to expect it to, TSM will be in each one of Office Depot's 1191 stores by the first quarter of 2009."