German mid-year industry figures more positive

DIY stores in Germany significantly improved their sales performance in the second quarter compared with the first few months of the year. With turnover of EUR 6.46 bn, they remained only marginally – by 0.1 per cent – below the level of the same quarter last year; on a like-for-like basis, however, turnover rose by 0.8 per cent. These figures were published by the German trade association BHB.

For the first half of the year as a whole, there is also still a slight shortfall of 0.4 per cent compared with the first six months of 2025. On a like-for-like basis, however, turnover of EUR 10.99 bn was 0.3 per cent higher than the corresponding figure for the previous year.

The improved performance in the second quarter is attributable, amongst other things, to the early heatwaves, during which demand for air conditioning units, fans and irrigation equipment rose significantly. In June alone…