Bad weather spoils the German half-year figures

The second quarter brought a significant drop in sales for DIY stores in Germany. Compared to the same period last year, their sales fell by 4.5 per cent to EUR 6.39 bn; like-for-like sales were down 4.0 per cent. As the first quarter had seen an increase of 4.4 per cent, the decline for the first half of 2024 as a whole was moderate at -0.9 per cent. In total, German DIY stores generated sales of EUR 11.15 bn during this period. On a like-for-like basis, sales fell by 0.6 per cent. The BHB has published these figures from the GfK Total Store Report DACH. The association describes the year to date as a ‘weather-related streak of bad luck after a very promising start to the year’. Sales have fallen sharply, particularly in May and June.

Investment goods such as tiles are the losers of the first half of the year (-14.2 per cent), while new garden furniture (-9.6 per cent) and leisure and…