In August the German kitchen furniture industry recorded a turnover decline of 2.2% to €320.0m compared to the corresponding month in the preceding year. According to figures compiled by the Federation of the German kitchen furniture industry (VdDK) on the basis of data supplied by the Federal Statistical Office, this means that the volatile development in the industry seen over recent months continued. Relatively significant fluctuations, for example, were recorded in May (+17.5%), June (-12.7%) and July (+11.0%) due to shifts in public holidays. The current turnover decline is mainly attributed to domestic business, where turnover - at just under €190.0m - fell 3.8% short of the corresponding figure of last year. Export turnover generated in countries within the euro zone also decreased by 0.7% to €99.8m. In total, however, export turnover - at €130.0m (+0.3%) - slightly surpassed last year’s figure. Due to the overall weaker development on the domestic market, the export rate improved by one percentage point to 40.6%.
