Electric garden tools lose out

Last year the European market for electric garden tools contracted by nearly two per cent to a volume of € 843 mio. The number of units sold remained constant at 13.7 mio. These are some of the figures released by Bosch yesterday. Volume sales of € 301 mio in 2010 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (known as the DACH region) amounted to a decline of 1.3 per cent, while the number of tools sold went down by 7.5 per cent to 2.75 mio units. The figures also revealed that tools powered by lithium-ion batteries developed at an above-average rate: this segment saw growth of five per cent by value in 2010 (2209: 13 per cent). According to the manufacturer, the market developed positively in the first few months of 2011, though the changeable weather that followed resulted in a more challenging trading experience. Sales in the DACH region for the first six months were 4.8 per cent below the previous year’s level and unit sales were 8.5 per cent down.