New positioning of authorized non-food dealers

Specialised retailing in some non-food sectors was confronted with changes in the market environment and a decline in sales at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of this decade. Nominal sales of retailers in non-food sectors in Germany in 2007 were 5.4% lower than in 1997; in real terms (at constant sales prices) this was a decline of 2.7%. The number of firms fell noticeably. The number of specialised retailers in paper products, school and office items fell by 20% and toy dealers by 10% in the past ten years. The remaining companies seem to have managed to develop concepts and strategies that make it possible for them to maintain and even expand their market positions.