German retailers report fewer supply bottlenecks in January – Ifo

February 2, 2022

BERLIN (Reuters) – The delivery bottlenecks that have been plaguing German retailers eased significantly in January, an Ifo institute survey showed, with 57.1% of shops saying they had failed to deliver all goods ordered, down from 81.6% in December.

Retailers have been among the worst affected by the supply chain hiccups that have afflicted the global economy as it struggles to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Problems remained severe in building supply stores, where 94% had failed to make all deliveries, and in car retail, where 84% of showrooms reported the same.

“There’s slightly less pressure after the Christmas rush,” said Ifo head Klaus Wohlrabe. “But many retailers are still failing to fulfill every customer need.”

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Riham Alkousaa)