GERMANY - The sales of the German DIY megastores with gardening centers collapsed significantly in the pandemia lockdowns according to the figures presented by the DIY, building and gardening trade association (BHB).

With gross sales of EUR 3.45 billion, the decrease is 21.3 percent compared to the previous year. A trend which, however, is clearly turning positive again in March.

This year's pandemia lockdown spanned all of January and February. From March onwards, the stores were gradually reopened for sale to end customers. As a result, sales in March increased by 18.0%.

In the neighboring countries of Austria and Switzerland, almost all DIY stores were closed for several weeks in the first quarter of 2020. In contrast, the restrictions in the current period under review were lower. In Austria, the DIY store companies were able to increase their quarterly sales by 30.7% to € 606.7 million.  In Switzerland, sales even increased by 46.1% to CHF 895.4 million.

"The completely unnecessary sales collapse in Germany is and will remain the result of inconsistent pandemic measures by the federal and state governments," emphasizes BHB Managing Director Dr. Peter Wüst. The risk of infection for visitors to the markets is almost non-existent due to the infrastructure and the security measures that have been put in place with enormous effort. Despite tireless communication and informational discussions between the BHB and numerous commercial and industrial companies with all political decision-makers, a fact-based assessment of the situation was hardly ever made, the political decision-makers remained in a state of shock in view of the incidence figures. "That caused enormous economic damage," emphasizes Wüst.