Inflation makes itself felt: these products are now becoming scarce and expensive - gaps on the shelves
Created: 2022-02-08 13:28
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
The inflation-related rise in prices is also noticeable in the supermarket.
© Martin Wagner/Imago Images
Inflation hits retailers hard, which also affects the end consumer's wallet.
Prices are rising while some products are becoming scarce.
Munich – German consumers currently have to dig deeper into their wallets when shopping because prices have risen almost everywhere.
This is due to the comparatively high inflation: In January, at 4.9 percent, it again almost reached the 5 percent mark.
The Ifo Institute expects inflation of at least four percent for 2022 as a whole.
The price increase should therefore continue in the coming months.
According to a survey by Ifo, more and more companies want to increase their prices due to rising energy costs and the procurement of primary products.
However, some product classes have been hit harder than others lately.
Inflation causes prices to skyrocket - electrical appliances hardest hit by the increase
Products in the electronics segment are the most affected by the current market situation, according to data from market researcher GfK.
There, the availability of products is getting tight.
Although gaps in the shelves are not immediately visible everywhere, "the average number of products per retailer has decreased," GfK supply chain expert Tatjana Wismeth told
Handelsblatt
.
Overall, electrical items recorded an average price increase of four percent.
The price increase varies within the segment and differs depending on the device class.
However, the front runners are the photo devices with 20.1 percent.
This is followed by peripherals for laptops and computers.
Keyboards, for example, were up 18 percent at the end of last year and rose again after the 2020 increase of 15 percent.
An increase in the price of coffee machines was also recorded.
In contrast to the increase of eleven percent in 2020, however, the price increase fell.
Last year it was only seven percent.
Inflation, but also a lack of chips ensure higher prices for electronics - "Availability is declining"
A key factor in electronic devices is the lack of chips that was introduced at the same time.
This exacerbates the situation around prices even more.
"Due to the scarcity of processors, we can see in the data how the gap is widening: the available components are more likely to be built into the premium products, the availability of inexpensive items is decreasing," explained the GfK expert Wismeth to the
Handelsblatt
.
A clear price increase can be observed for products such as drones, audio devices and computers as well as PC components such as graphics cards.
In addition, discontinued models are now available less cheaply than before the pandemic.
Before the corona pandemic, previous year's models of televisions were offered 20 cheaper, but in 2021 only ten percent.
Inflation in Germany: Groceries are becoming more expensive - especially everyday items
Inflation is also making things difficult for the end consumer in the food industry, especially with price increases.
The dealers fill the gaps created during escalating negotiations with suppliers with alternative products, but customers still notice a price increase.
The GfK data shows the considerable extent of the price increase in the food trade.
According to the market researcher, every seventh product group in the supermarket was more than ten percent more expensive in 2021.
In addition, nine out of ten product groups were above the prices of the previous year in the second half of the year.
According to GfK expert Wismeth, the price increases are particularly visible for basic items such as eggs, margarine, potatoes, but also toilet paper and kitchen rolls.
For products such as chocolates and canned vegetables, even higher tinplate costs add to the price increase, driving these items up by over 10 percent.
When it comes to everyday goods, end consumers pay much more attention to special offers and are more economical when shopping, according to GfK statistics.
Inflation also hits the furniture industry: price increases for kitchens due to expensive raw materials and longer delivery times
Another area particularly affected by the price increase is the furniture industry.
The triggers are sharply increased transport costs and a price increase of the most important raw material wood by almost double.
High prices are particularly visible for kitchen furniture, as there is a shortage of raw materials for chipboard.
In addition, the delivery times are considerably longer.
Even before the pandemic, you had to wait around three months for the new kitchen to be delivered.
In the meantime, this period is probably four to six months.
(bb)
