Evaluation of the figures from 20 wholesale companies in the BNN Turnover Monitor reveals a rise in turnover of 11.4%. The turnover of the specialist retail wholefood trade increased in 2015 to €3.04bn.

Once again the data for the specialist wholefood trade point to an outstanding volume of sales. This result was presented by BNN (Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren) at the preliminary BioFach press conference on 4 February in Nuremberg, a week before the beginning of the trade fair.

Graphic ©BNN: sales volume in the organic food trade increases of EUR 2.74 bn in 2014, 3.04 billion EUR in 2015

The rise in turnover of 11.4% given by the BNN Turnover Monitor, with 20 German participating wholesalers, means that average growth in the wholesale wholefood trade over the last ten years comes to 10%. From the figures we calculate that in 2015 the specialist retail wholefood trade achieved turnover of €3.04bn on their existing sales area plus new retail space.

Graphic ©BNN: percental annual turnover of BNN Turnover Monitor from 2006 - 2015

“The figures for 2015 are naturally a great success,” says BNN Managing Director Elke Röder, “because they show that customers appreciate the specialist retailers and their organic offer. The fact that organics are widely available today is down to the pioneer work of the wholefood industry. Because we want to continually improve, we’re preparing the way for the organic turnaround and are driving along the discounters and supermarket chains that have no longer been able to ignore this trend,” says the Managing Director of BNN.

A committed retail trade is the backbone of development

Röder made it clear that the owner-managed specialist trade plays the major role when it’s a question of awakening an interest in consumers for what is genuine and satisfying that interest long-term. ”These committed retailers continue to be crucially important for spreading an authentic and sustainable food culture throughout society – based of course on organic agriculture.”