Sales in the optics trade calmed down during the third quarter after an exemplary start to the year. Wholesale trade ended the quarter with a -0.7 percent decline in sales and retail trade with a 0.9 percent increase.
Third quarter sales in the wholesale optics trade ended up with a sales surplus of -0.7 percent. Only in August did sales perform better than the previous year, ending up with a 4.7 percent increase. The quarter-on-quarter difference is significant when compared to the beginning of the year, when the wholesale trade saw a growth in sales of almost 12 percent during the first half of the year. The value of the wholesale trade since the beginning of the year exceeded 90 million euros.
A slowdown in sales was also seen in the retail trade of the optics sector, even though more moderately than in the wholesale trade. However, sales during the third quarter still increased by 0.9 percent, but only in August were sales on the positive side (+6.3%). The background of the year, which has run at a record pace so far, is the 5.0 percent sales growth in the first half of the year. The value of the retail trade since the beginning of the year exceeded 280 million euros.
“The general uncertainty experienced by consumers is now also being reflected in trade in the optics sector. The sector does not have an end-of-year season like other retail trades. The sales reductions that start at the turn of the year usually give a good start to the sales at the beginning of the year, but, this time, there is more uncertainty in the air than usual”, commented Panu Tast, managing director of Finnish Association of Vision and Eyecare NÄE ry.
More information:
Panu Tast, managing director, Finnish Association of Vision and Eyecare NÄE ry, tel. +358 (0) 40 5422 227, panu.tast@naery.fi
