As of: 10/6/2021 11:03 a.m.
Gingerbread and speculoos have been on many supermarket shelves since August. However, Christmas items from the non-food sector are a long time coming or are missing altogether – a consequence of material shortages and delivery bottlenecks.
In the decorative paradise “Andreas” in Dietzenbach everything shines in Christmas splendor from August onwards. This year, too, more than 15,000 decorative items should be ready by now on an area of 8,500 square meters. But something is wrong. Managing director Marco Andreas is still waiting for a remarkable 40 percent of his goods: “Containers are not available, ships are fully booked, trucks are not on the move.”
Prices for containers from the Far East are exploding
A global shortage of raw materials and the strong increase in demand are two of many reasons. Most of the decorative items sold in this country are usually produced in Asia. But the production capacities are completely overloaded.
Another important reason: barely available shipping containers or only those that can be booked at absurdly high prices. In January 2019, German companies paid around $ 2,000 per container from Shanghai to the transshipment point in Hamburg, but most recently it was $ 20,000 per container.
Christmas baubles and the like are becoming more expensive
The consequence of this tenfold rate for a container: a price increase. Above all, bulky items, i.e. items that take up a lot of space during transport, cost more: Christmas goods will be up to 15 percent more expensive this year – if they are available. Gaps in the range are currently being filled in many places with neutral items from the summer. The business with Christmas decorations is of great importance for many retailers: Germans are planning to spend an estimated one billion euros on it this year.
And it’s not just specialist retailers who have to struggle with the problems. Companies like Kik also confirm that “despite the agreement, our goods are not taken away because competitors are willing to pay more. The delivery of the Christmas decorations is correspondingly difficult.” Lidl is also having difficulties and has “adjusted the relevant advertising dates”.
Waiting for the advent calendar
Just like the Christmas decorations, advent calendars also logically have a very short supply period. Around 80 percent of Germans want to buy calendars this year too; In this business area, 100 million euros are now spent annually. The toy calendars generate the largest overall turnover with around 35 million euros.
One of the manufacturers, the toy company Craze in Karlsruhe, has celebrated great success with themed Advent calendars in recent years. But the wave of success is in jeopardy this year, says authorized officer Florian Lipp: “We currently have time delays of up to three weeks, and that is particularly nerve-wracking with such a seasonal product.”
After all, an Advent calendar can no longer be sold from December onwards, the offer period is limited. And something else is special about this product: The higher costs due to the increased raw material or container prices can no longer be passed on afterwards. Contracts with dealers will be concluded and prices will be set in the spring.
Assessment of the trade association HDE
“The search for suitable Christmas presents is assured again this year,” said the managing director of the German Retail Association (HDE), Stefan Genth, of the Reuters news agency. This time too, new releases and new models of very popular products could become scarce, as production bottlenecks could arise here. “It is not to be expected that people will stand in front of empty shelves when they go shopping for Christmas,” says Genth.