Western Europe: Strong Technical Consumer Goods market. How the sales volume of Technical Consumer Goods in Western Europe has developed.

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1 Press release 28 November Wolfgang Seubold T F wolfgang.seubold@gfk.com Vanessa Karg Corporate Communications T vanessa.karg@gfk.com Western Europe: Strong Technical Consumer Goods market Results for GfK TEMAX Western Europe for the third quarter of Nuremberg, 28 November The Western European market for Technical Consumer Goods closed the third quarter of with total sales of 47.3 billion. This corresponds to a growth rate of 4%, compared to the same period of last year. The Western European market for Technical Consumer Goods increased its sales by 4% on a year-on-year basis. Almost all sectors surveyed in the GfK TEMAX Western Europe contributed to this strong result. Photography was the only sector which experienced a further severe decrease. On a country level, Germany, the UK, Portugal, and Greece were in good shape. How the sales volume of Technical Consumer Goods in Western Europe has developed 68 EUR bn GfK SE Nordwestring Nürnberg T F public.relations@gfk.com Vorstand: Matthias Hartmann (CEO) Christian Diedrich (CFO) Dr. Gerhard Hausruckinger Debra A. Pruent Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: Dr. Arno Mahlert Registergericht Nürnberg HRB Source: GfK TEMAX Western Europe, GfK Q1-12 Q2-12 Q3-12 Q4-12 Q1-13 Q2-13 Q3-13 Q4-13 Q1-14 Q2-14 Q3-14 Small Domestic Appliances: broad growth across many categories In the third quarter of, the Western European market for Small Domestic Appliances achieved the highest growth of all the sectors, rising by

2 9.8%, up to 3.2 billion. In particular, double-digit growth in Austria, Portugal, Germany, and the UK were responsible for this development. Alongsidew with kitchen machines, electric toothbrushes and premium vacuum cleaners (such as rechargeable handhelds, robots, as well as bagged and bagless cylinder vacuum cleaners) double digit growth is coming from various further product groups. Above average growth was generated in the personal care appliances segment. Hair dryers, hair styling products (hot air stylers, tongs), beard trimmers, multi-grooming kits, as well as laser/ipl appliances all showed a vivid upward trend. Also, classic kitchen appliances such as kettles, toasters, and liquidizers showed positive results. Growth was also registered in further important markets such as entry-level espresso machines (fully automatic and single-serve), irons (traditional steam irons, generators), and men s shavers. Increases in the Western European Small Domestic Appliances market were apparent across a broad range of products. Major Domestic Appliances: sales up in all product groups With an increase of 5.4%, the Major Domestic Appliances market continued its growth trend in the third quarter of. Between July and September, a sales volume of 8.2 billion was generated. All countries except for Belgium contributed to that result, and all product groups recorded positive growth. In particular, a growing demand for dryers with heat pump technology was registered. However, prices especially for built-in appliances fell slightly, except in the UK and the Netherlands. Telecommunications: smartphone accessories in demand Compared to the same period of last year, the telecommunications market in Western Europe generated a sales increase of 5% in the third quarter of. The total turnover amounted to 11 billion between July and September. The market was mainly driven by Belgium, Portugal, and Greece with Germany and Spain also reporting strong growth. Smartphones experienced a decline in average prices and became more affordable. This presents a significant challenge for manufacturers and retailers, while consumers are benefitting. Retailers, however, are increasingly able to sell smarter and more expensive accessories with mobile devices. These include wireless chargers, smart cases, and headsets which provide excellent sound quality. Information Technology: demand for mobile appliances with trendy design In the third quarter of, the Western European market for Information Technology grew by 4.9%, up to 13.1 billion. The positive development was driven by a cyclical replacement of Windows 7 products, and the end of the support period for Windows XP. Appliances, which combined mobility with appealing design, were especially sought after. While media tablets with big screens, tablet computers and ultra-mobile devices registered posi- 2

3 tive growth rates, media tablets with screen sizes below 8 inches faced market saturation for the first time. Consumer Electronics: an ongoing positive sales trend In the third quarter of, the Western European market for Consumer Electronics continued its positive development. Between July and September, the turnover amounted to 6.9 billion, corresponding to an increase of 3.4%, compared to the same period last year. Indeed, it seems that consumers are rekindling their interest in Consumer Electronics. They sought out larger screens above 50 inches, with excellent display quality (4k/UHD) and internet connection with their TV. Having access to new content for example, American TV series, or the latest blockbuster movies via the internet watching TV has returned to being in fashion with consumers. In addition, the audio segment also continued to grow as consumers wanted to have their music on smartphones and linked to hi-fi speakers at home. Office Equipment and Consumables: slight drop The Office Equipment and Consumables market faced a slight fall of 0.8% in the third quarter of. This was mainly caused by France s doubledigit drop, while almost every other country surveyed in the GfK TEMAX Western Europe generated growth. Sales volume between July and September amounted to 3.6 billion. In particular, returns in the printing hardware segment were disappointing with inkjet and laser single printers, as well as inkjet multifunctional devices (MFDs) under pressure. Only laser MFD color printers continued the positive sales development. Many newly launched business ink products with higher prices than in the traditional inkjet printing segment gave hope for a fresh growth impulse in the coming months. Photography*: strong market for compact system cameras The photography product groups surveyed in the GfK TEMAX Western Europe recorded a double-digit fall of 14.9%, down to 1.4 billion. This development was again reflected in all the countries surveyed. However, in the last month around the time of the Photokina fair in Germany an increasing demand for cameras was noted. This was apparent among the camera upgraders and reflected stable, but slowly increasing prices. No other digital industry was able to show this. The market for compact system cameras (mirrorless, changeable lens cameras) also grew significantly. Further growth potential was also seen for cameras with larger sensors and travelzoom cameras, which registered stable returns. * Photography includes cameras and accessories 3

4 GfK TEMAX Western Europe: Technical Consumer Goods market defies difficult environment The Western Europe Technical Consumer Goods market increased its sales in the third quarter of, compared to the same period last year, and continued the positive growth trend. This was especially impressive, given the unstable economic environment. Additionally, in almost every state of the European Union, results underperformed both the expectations and the forecasts of economic institutions and governments. Results of the GfK Consumer Climate survey for the third quarter of also showed that European consumers are not as optimistic as they were in June. However, the development of the GfK TEMAX Western Europe demonstrated that consumers still like to buy products. If the positive consumer mood continues in the last quarter, business around the Christmas season should be good. Summary in table format Q Q1 Q2 Q3 Q3 14 /Q3 13 Q1-3 Q /Q M.EUR M.EUR M.EUR M.EUR +/-% M.EUR +/-% Consumer Electronics (CE) 10,281 7,653 6,883 6, % 21, % Photography (PH) 1,826 1,339 1,388 1, % 4, % Major Domestic Appliances (MDA) 8,130 7,737 7,379 8, % 23, % Small Domestic Appliances (SDA) 4,189 3,260 2,950 3, % 9, % Information Technology (IT) 16,715 13,943 12,384 13, % 39, % Telecommunication (TC) 12,839 10,099 9,915 11, % 31, % Office Equipment & Consumables (OE) 4,132 3,964 3,710 3, % 11, % GfK TEMAX Western Europe 58,111 47,995 44,609 47, % 139, % Source: GfK TEMAX Western Europe, GfK Please note Telco figures are with non-subsidized prices from Q onwards. Back data were reworked accordingly. The Survey GfK TEMAX is an index developed by GfK to track the technical consumer goods markets. The findings are based on surveys carried out on a regular basis by the retail panel of GfK. The retail panel comprises data from over 425,000 retail outlets worldwide. Since 2009, GfK has also been compiling the GfK TEMAX index at international level in more than 30 countries. It is the first index that includes all of the markets for technical consumer goods in different countries. GfK TEMAX Western Europe directly includes the following countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, UK and Sweden. All directly included country reports and press releases are available at Besides them, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland are represented by extrapolated data. If information from this press release or is cited, GfK TEMAX should be explicitly indicated as the source. 4

5 Further information: Stefan Schmidt, T , stefan.schmidt@gfk.com Markus Tuschl, T , wolfgang.seubold@gfk.com About GfK GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK s long-standing data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers experiences and choices. For more information, please visit or follow GfK on Twitter: Responsible under press legislation GfK SE, Corporate Communications Jan Saeger Nordwestring 101 D Nuremberg T: public.relations@gfk.com 5