According to the German Association for Information Management, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) the e-business in foodstuffs and beverages shrank slightly for the first time last year with turnover falling by 3% to 119 million Euros. In previous years turnover in this sector had grown at sometimes two-digit rates as is demonstrated by figures provided by the GfK market research institute.
BITKOM assumes that one reason for this development is longer opening hours of traditional shops. The main reason, however, is said to be the general buying resistance of customers due to high prices for foodstuffs. Thus, turnover in foodstuffs fell by 4.4% in March 2008 as compared to March 2007. These figures were calculated by the Federal Statistical Office. 