Knowledge Centre

Although on 25 - 27 October 2010 World Retail Congress will be the only place to be, we recognise that the event only happens once a year.  We have therefore provided you with a Knowledge Centre, featuring the very latest retail information supplied courtesy of the industry's leading information providers - Retail Week, Drapers and WGSN.

Passion, drama, suspense – football is the focus of global fascination, especially during the FIFA World Cup. But football is also big business. The global power of this tournament in particular and the sporting superstars who perform on football’s greatest stage has significant implications for the sales of the sporting goods industry, as well as the image and marketing of brands.

Read more...

GfK's Global Director for Consumer Electronics Juergen Boyny explains what we can expect from the European market this year

What is your verdict on 2009?

The development of the European Consumer Electronic Market in 2009 has unquestionably been a negative one, with the market down -10% in Euro terms compared to 2008. The reasons behind this development can be explained as a mosaic of different pieces.

On the one hand there is of course the financial crisis. In several European countries unemployment has drastically increased (Spain for example is currently experiencing an unemployment rate of 20%).

Read more...

UK Internet Purchases of Household and Technology Products Reaches 18%

According to the latest GfK Retail and Technology figures, internet sales of consumer durable goods over the Christmas period in the UK reached 18%, the highest ever recorded total.   The internet channel comprises both Pure Player and Click & Mortar retailers and this record market share was equal to consumer expenditure worth nearly £900 million.

It is apparent that consumers are now fully confident using the internet as a channel for making their household and technology purchases, there is higher confidence in security and the ease of purchase has made this a hugely successful channel in 2009.  Consumer’s appetite for online shopping saw the sales of some categories rocket; GfK recorded one quarter of all Digital Cameras sold in December being done so online.

Read more...

After years of steady growth, the market for Major Domestic Appliances (MDA) experienced a sudden hit when in autumn 2008 the collapsing housing market in the US and the following credit crunch sent its shock waves around the globe. At the beginning of 2009, the outlook for the rest of the year looked rather gloomy as the world was just about to enter the fiercest recession since 1945.

Read more...

In the European textile and fashion markets, 2009 did not perform as badly as many
feared. Most national syndicates reported trends for the year which, whilst obviously not enthusiastic, were either marginally above or marginally below 2008 sales in value terms. One of the principal fears of the industry was a structural ‘trading down’ by consumers towards cheaper products as the tough economic conditions took hold. At stake was a European market worth an estimated 350 billion euro.

With the pricing strategies of retailers and manufacturers under pressure, results in the mass-channels, hypermarkets, cash-and-carry and “food” discounters provided an excellent insight as to the readiness of consumers to curb their spending. Based on sales tracked in this channel across the five key Western European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK), the trend is clear: the consumer is more cautious, but not yet ready to change their spending habits. Although the mass-merchant channel was down -11% in revenue for textiles and fashion in France and Spain, it is apparent that the rapid adjustments made by the industry to adapt to their audience’s mood has helped avert a drastic landscape change. 

Collecting sales information at POS level, GfK currently expands its fashion tracking activities from coverage of traditional mass-merchants to the multi and mono-brand channels, covering sales of textiles from lingerie to outerwear. The year 2009 has been particularly enlightening in putting into sharp focus the fashion industry’s need for fast, detailed and comprehensive information.

GfK Retail and Technology, in association with GfK GeoMarketing, can offer a one-stop solution: factual overviews and actionable analyses for the retailer, linking information from overall channel trends down to shop location management and for the manufacturer, peers benchmarks and trends.
To find out more please contact:
Lynne Henry
International Communications Manager
lynne.henry@gfk.com
Tel: +44 (0)870 603 8119
 www.gfkrt.com

The GfK Group

The GfK Group is the No. 4 market research organization worldwide. Its activities cover the three business sectors of Custom Research, Retail and Technology and Media. The Group has 150 operating companies covering over 100 countries. Of a total of 10.267 employees (as at March 31, 2009), more than 80% are based outside Germany. For further information, visit our website: www.gfkrt.com