Cordless growth

The total European market for electric garden tools experienced growth of two per cent to around € 900 mio in 2012. At the same time the number of tools sold went down by one per cent to 13.1 mio units, which is being interpreted as a trend towards higher-value garden equipment. These are figures published by Bosch. A significantly greater increase was recorded by the sub-market made up of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Last year 2.6 mio tools were sold here, or one per cent more than in 2011, but the increase in terms of turnover was eight per cent for a total of € 306 mio. One reason for the overall market growth is the increasing popularity of storage-battery tools, despite being more expensive than corded versions. The trend towards autonomous robotic lawnmowers is also contributing to the growth of the cordless segment: from nine per cent of the lawnmower market in 2009 to 30 per cent in April 2013 – based on data from Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium – and with average annual sales growth of 36 per cent. The industry has experienced a setback this year: in the first six months of 2013 some 1.2 mio electric-powered garden tools were sold in Germany, which is nine per cent down on the first six months of last year. The sales volume fell by five per cent to € 145 mio as well. Bosch has totally distanced itself from this trend. In the first half-year the manufacturer’s garden tools business experienced double-digit growth compared with the same period last year. “We had our own special boom,” said Henning von Boxberg, chairman of Bosch Power Tools. Contributing to this is the “Indego”, a robotic lawn mower launched in 2013, which already has a 48 per cent share of the market with around 6 000 units sold within the European DIY sector; moreover, the company is offering a wider range of products and has achieved new listings. The garden tools division concluded the year 2012 with sales growth of five per cent for a total of € 251 mio. This means that Bosch has increased its market share in the key European market, where the division achieves 90 per cent of its turnover, to 26 per cent. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland the Bosch garden division saw growth of eight per cent in sales through DIY stores and internet suppliers. Download: