German DIY sector sees significant decline in April

April saw the sharpest decline in sales in the German home improvement sector that the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has recorded so far this year. In real terms, retail sales of metal goods, paints, and building and DIY supplies were 4.9 percent below the level of April 2025; in nominal terms, they were down 3.8 percent. However, these are preliminary figures that are continuously updated by statisticians.

For example, Destatis has significantly revised its March figures upward and currently reports a real decline of only 0.7 percent, after initially recording a 2.7 percent drop. For the change in current prices - that is, the nominal rate of change - the statistics currently show an increase of 0.3 percent in March.

Retail sales in the garden and pet sector also fell further behind the previous year’s figures in April. Retail sales of…