DIY stores in the DACH region still in the red after nine months

After the first three quarters of this year, DIY stores in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are looking at a negative sales trend compared to the previous year. After nine months in 2023, DIY stores in Germany reported a decline of 2.7 per cent (3.0 per cent on a like-for-like basis), with sales of EUR 16.55 bn. The brief interim high from the second quarter cannot be maintained, according to the German trade association BHB, which published these figures.

DIY retailers in Austria are also struggling with falling sales. Sales of EUR 2.39 bn were recorded there in the first nine months, which corresponds to a decline of 2.3 per cent. A similar trend can also be seen in the Swiss sector markets: with total sales of CHF 2.72 bn, values are down by 4.8 per cent (like-for-like by 3.4 per cent).

Almost all product ranges have developed negatively. The leisure/seasonal goods range alone lost 15.7 per cent in Germany. The tile and wood product areas also declined (-10.8 and -10.6 per cent respectively). However, the long-standing sales driver Garden also lost ground in investment-related areas (garden equipment -11.4 per cent). As a side note, following the announcement of a provisional agreement on the Heating Act, the sanitary installation/heating/accessories segment lost more than 25 per cent of its turnover in September. In contrast, the garden chemicals/soil/seeds segment developed positively (+8.8 per cent).

In Austria, too, the consumer slump is hitting leisure product ranges particularly hard (-18.8 per cent), while demand for construction elements is also down (-15.5 per cent). Here, too, people are investing in maintaining the garden as a living space (garden chemicals/soil/seeds +11.8 per cent). In difficult times, the Swiss are making savings in the garden furniture sector in particular (-15.7 per cent). However, there is more demand for paints and painting accessories (+2.3 per cent).