German sales in the red

In the first five months of this year DIY retailers in Germany sold 6.2 per cent less nominally than during the same period last year, achieving gross sales of € 7.41 bn. These latest market figures were announced by the BHB retailers’ association. In like-for-like terms the deficit was 6.3 per cent. Clear losses were made by the product categories of live plants/seeds (minus 14.3 per cent), garden furniture/decoration (minus 17.8 per cent), garden hardware (minus 17.6 per cent) and leisure, handicrafts and hobbies as well (minus 23.0 per cent).