Industry News
September 2009
Direct selling is doing well in Europe
DESPITE the general economic slow-down, direct selling activity in Europe is largely unaffected and, in some markets, showing significant growth. These are the key findings of FEDSA’s 2009 survey of business in 2008. Sales reported to FEDSA by national European direct selling associations amounted to €16 billion achieved by a record number of over 10 million direct sellers. Germany remains the leading market for direct selling with an impressive result of €4 billion, whilst France, the United Kingdom and Italy also performed well. Good performances are confirmed in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Outside the European Union, Russia is the largest market for direct selling with sales of over €2 billion followed by Turkey and Ukraine. The leading product category in direct sales is cosmetics and personal care items, followed by household products in equal position with wellness products.
Note: Sales of €16 billion in 2008 include, for the first time, the sales of both member and non-DSA member companies in Belgium, Germany and Italy.
Sources : FEDSA, 2009 (http://www.fedsa.eu)
The figures were collected from DSAs in 31 European countries. 24 of these associations are FEDSA members, 4 are members of Direct Selling Europe (DSE) (Austria, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland), and 3 others are without affiliation to a European association (France, Italy and Luxembourg).
This positive trend demonstrates that in the global financial turmoil that hits most other retail channels of distribution, direct selling continues to grow because it provides equal income opportunities for people who find themselves in a difficult situation and need to supplement their family’s income with a flexible occupation.
On 18th July 2009 FEDSA arranged for a positive report on direct selling on BBC Radio’s World Service. This included interviews with direct sellers in both France and the UK, which proved the enduring strength of the direct selling channel and why it is largely unaffected by the current worldwide recession.
