Lower TV sales bring down German CE market

Lower TV sales led the German consumer electronics market to experience a top line decline of 2.6% last year, with a return to growth expected this year, according to consumer electronics association the GFU.

According to the trade body, sales of consumer electronics goods amounted to €27 billion in 2013, down from €27.7 billion the previous year.

The drop was attributed to a strong prior year, which was boosted by major sporting events including the Olympics and the impact of digital switchover of satellite services.

As a result sales of TVs fell by 19.8%. However, sales of other goods continued to grow. Smartphone sales grew by 18.8% and tablet sales grew by a massive 36.1%, according to the GFU.

Within the TV market, larger screens increased their share of sales, with screens sized 37 inches and above accounting for 77% of sales, compared with 70% of sales in 2012. LCD TVs accounted for 97% of the overall market.

Smart TVs accounted for 56% of all TVs sold, compared with 50% in 2012.

Smartphone sales accounted for 22.4 million units sold in 2013, up from 18.4 million units in 2012, while tablet sales accounted for 5.6 million units and €1.8 billion in revenue. Notebook PC sales fell while desktop sales were more or less flat.

TV sales for 2013 amounted to €4.7 billion, while private telecom goods represented sales of €8.6 billion and private IT products €7.6 billion.

The GFU said it expected growth this year to be driven by the impact of events including the World Cup. The body expects overall growth of about 1% in the market for 2014.