The heavy demand from the construction and interior-finishing sectors along with the ensuing rise in prices in many product groups has made substantial increases in sales revenue possible this year. According to the figures from a comparison of member businesses presented at the convention of the German timber-trade federation (GD-Holz) held in Cologne on 9 November, aggregate sales revenue over the first nine months of was roughly 20% higher than last year. In view of the decreasing demand in a number of product groups and assortments since roughly August/September as well rapidly decaying prices recently, no forecast was given in Cologne for sales revenue for the year as a whole.
Development in the wholesale and retail trades’ varied in the nine-month period; the trends observed in the two sectors in 2020 have meanwhile reversed again. The favourable development in sales volume in almost all product groups and above all the price increases achieved by the middle of the third quarter enabled the companies in the wholesale trade to significantly increase their sales revenue. GD Holz has not given a specific growth rate for the wholesale trade, however. In contrast, sales revenue generated by the timber retail trade fell by 3% by the end of September due to the last year’s high growth and the ensuing base effect. In 2020, the retail trade had benefited from anticipatory effects driven by lockdowns and a high level of consumer demand.
