Press release No. 146 of 23 April 2020
WIESBADEN – The demand for specific convenience goods is falling in the corona crisis. A special evaluation of experimental data by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) shows that the sales figures of selected sanitary products and food were again significantly lower in the 16th calendar week from 13 to 19 April 2020 than in the weeks before. Sales of toilet tissue, for example, were again nearly two thirds lower (-65%) than the average of the months from August 2019 to January 2020 (6 to 12 April: -64%). In the 16th calendar week the demand for other products also declined considerably. The demand for pasta and rice was down by 27% and that of strained tomatoes by 18% (6 to 12 April: pasta +47%, rice +39%, strained tomatoes +11%). There may be different reasons for the declining sales figures. Products of specific segments may either not be available briefly, or the demand may be satisfied in some areas.
| Produkt | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soap | 122 | 153 | 235 | 337 | 133 | 130 | 12 | 10 |
| Toilet tissue | 56 | 99 | 131 | 211 | 46 | -29 | -64 | -65 |
| Pasta | 109 | 150 | 140 | 117 | 9 | 2 | 47 | -27 |
| Flour | 150 | 99 | 192 | 105 | 139 | 57 | 56 | -9 |
| Sugar | 76 | 39 | 101 | 100 | 35 | 10 | 21 | -30 |
| Rice | 206 | 41 | 163 | 208 | 27 | 12 | 39 | -27 |
| Disinfectants | 659 | 751 | 206 | -49 | 165 | 276 | 63 | 71 |
| Apples | 46 | 13 | 65 | 42 | 26 | 45 | 29 | -2 |
| Strained tomatoes | 106 | 88 | 206 | 172 | 47 | 46 | 11 | -18 |
| Yeast | 97 | 51 | 132 | 52 | -37 | 28 | 39 | 39 |
| Beer | -10 | -9 | -4 | -5 | -17 | -2 | 26 | -1 |
| Vegetables | 15 | 9 | 32 | 26 | 21 | 34 | 60 | 10 |
| Vegetables frozen | 41 | 29 | 77 | 85 | 38 | 48 | 39 | 3 |
| Canned vegetables | 125 | 59 | 137 | 128 | 20 | 42 | 21 | -21 |
| Fruit | 12 | -10 | 24 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 28 | 4 |
| Fruit frozen | 26 | 32 | 42 | 48 | 54 | 53 | 84 | 53 |
| Canned fruit | 138 | 27 | 126 | 97 | 36 | 63 | 42 | 1 |
| Spirits | -3 | -15 | -10 | -17 | -31 | -14 | 1 | -21 |
| Wine | -16 | -19 | -20 | -18 | -32 | 1 | 3 | -34 |
| Condoms | 6 | -4 | 19 | 56 | -1 | 4 | 6 | -8 |
Methodological note:
The data are based on new data sources and methods. Digital point-of-sale data, also referred to as scanner data, were evaluated for this purpose. Evaluations of this kind are experimental in character and form part of a project on "Experimental data", which is undertaken by the Federal Statistical Office to test new data sources and methods. Selected project results are available at www.destatis.de/exdat.
