IN Q3 2009, Sales of durable goods amounted to EUR 366 million

The Romanian durable goods (electrical appliances) market amounted to EUR 366 million in Q3 2009, up from EUR 308 million in Q2 2009. However, the market shrank 42.3% in the first three quarters of 2008, according to data compiled by research institute "GfK" Romania.

The small household appliances segment and telecommunication segments dropped 23.2%, and 28.6% respectively, in the first three quarters of 2009. Big household appliances sales had a good quarter again, compared to the beginning of 2009, however, compared to 2008, sales dropped 37.6%. The fast moving electronics segment also dropped 43.3%, whereas the photographic segment dropped 46.9% in 2009. The IT and office equipment segments performed the worst, with a 50.8% and 53.2% drop, respectively.

According to "GfK" Romania, the market for small household appliances proved more resilient to the economic downturn than the other segments, all of which saw shrinking sales. Sales of small household appliances dropped slightly, to 25% in Q3 2009, from 27.6% in Q2 2009. The third quarter saw the largest sales volume for 2009 - EUR 18 million.

In Q3 2009, the market for phones and smartphones dropped 33.5% over Q3 2008, to EUR 61 million.

• Sales of big household appliances increased, while the IT market contracted by 58%

Sales of large household appliances, increased 20% quarter-over-quarter, but dropped 38.4% over Q3 2008. According to "GfK", it is expected that the last three months of 2009 will bring better sales, thanks to promotional campaigns by manufacturers.

Sales of digital cameras remained relatively unchanged compared to the second quarter - 9 million Euros. As it is one of the economic segments that was hit the hardest by the economic crisis, the digital camera market saw a 50% drop in sales compared to Q3 2008. This year, shrinking consumer demand also caused a flattening of the seasonality curve for the summer season, to later drop from its July 2009 peak.

The IT segment dropped 58.1% in the between June and September, compared to last year"s similar period, reaching EUR 86 million, on the back of a general drop in demand for IT products, especially PCs and monitors. This was caused by a drop in purchasing power caused by shrinking household revenues, as well as the contraction of the B2B segment.