“Not an easy year”

Last year the European market for electric garden tools declined by nine per cent, with unit sales seven per cent down on the previous year’s total according to figures published by Bosch. As Stefan Hartung, president of the Power Tools division, said at a press conference, “It was not an easy year for the garden sector.” The market trend also continued downward in the first half of 2010, when overall sales were five per cent below the figure achieved in the comparable period last year. Bosch expects that the market in Europe will also continue to decline for the full year. In 2009 the market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland was still showing growth, with overall sales up by around six per cent and a one per cent increase in unit sales. However, the downturn reached this region as well in the first six months of 2010. This resulted in the company selling nine per cent fewer electric garden tools than in the same period last year, though overall sales were no more than two per cent down.