German DIY stores increase their sales by almost two per cent

The DIY store trade in Germany made total gross sales of € 14.09 bn in the first nine months of 2016, thus gaining an increase in sales of 1.9 per cent compared to the previous year. When adjusted to retail space, the growth in sales was 1.2 per cent. The German DIY retail association BHB announced the current market figures on the basis of figures from the market research company GfK.
The three strongest of the first nine months in terms of sales were April (€ 1.98 bn), May (€ 1.98 bn) and June (€ 1.65 bn). The highest sales in the reporting period was recorded by the German DIY stores with construction chemistry/construction materials (€ 1.39 bn), sanitary and heating goods (€ 1.23 bn), garden equipment (€ 1.06 bn), coating materials /painting accessories (€ 996.4 million) and tools/machines/workshop equipment (€ 909.8 million). With a total of € 3.61 bn, the gardening range makes up around a quarter of the previous year's annual total gross sales.
The DIY store trade achieved the strongest sales growth in the product groups walls and floors (+5.9 per cent), gardening tools/irrigation and drainage (+5.0 per cent), living greenery (+4.4 per cent) and tools/machines/workshop equipment (+3.9 per cent). On the other hand, there were some, partly clear declines in sales in the product groups home/decorating (-10.4 per cent), household goods (-4.2 per cent) and garden furniture (-2.3 per cent).