BOSS/GfK Panelmarket - Summary for January 2025

BOSS/GfK Panelmarket

GfK track and audit 36 product categories in the Office & Stationery sector and produces time comparable data for Sales Value, Sales Units/Packs and Sales Pieces – as well as calculating an average pack price and sales price.

Data is now split across two Retail channels and one B2B channel (Systemhouses) - these combine to provide the overall Panelmarket total, the Retail channels encompass around 90% of the Panelmarket total.  GfK estimate that the overall total for the 36 selected products, as reported in the Panelmarket, covers around 75% of the estimated UK market total for the 36 selected products.

Latest available data is up to (and including) January 2025.

Total Data (Panelmarket)

• In 2023 – sales in January and February tracked marginally below the monthly comparisons to 2022, whilst sales in March were marginally above the comparison to March 2022. Sales in April started to diverge further away from the 2022 comparison. Sales picked-up in May, contracted in June, rebounded in July, fell back again in August, improved slightly in September, more strongly in October, but fell back in November and December. Sales have been below 2022 and 2021 levels since March – the divergence has been more pronounced in the last three months. Sales in 2023 were 4.7% below 2022.
• In 2024 – there was an improvement in January, but still well short in comparison to previous Januarys. As expected, there was a big downturn in February, less expected was the continued decline into March. There was a further decline in April, and, this time, the expected improvement did materialise in May. However, also as expected, June was a tougher month. The expected strong upturn in July did materialise – though it remained below the level from previous years. A bigger than expected downturn in August was followed by a lacklustre recovery in September, a stronger pick-up in October, and declines in November and December.
• Sales in January 2025 were just over £148 million – 20.2% up from December, but 3.4% below January 2024.
• Average piece price was £2.40 in January 2025 – 3.1% below the £2.48 in January 2024.
• Sales in the 12 months to January 2025 were just over £1.5 billion – 4.9% lower than sales in the 12 months to January 2024.
• Average piece price in the 12 months to January 2025 was £2.17 – 2.0% below the £2.21 recorded in the 12 months to January 2024.

Click here to download the full BOSS/GfK Panelmarket report and a file depicting the latest sales charts for the consumer, retail and systemhouse channels.

Source: BOSS/GfK Panelmarket, www.bossfederation.com