NASSAU (dpa-AFX) - Household goods manufacturer Leifheit has benefited from the trend towards energy-saving products and increased sales and profits in the first half of this year. The bottom line was a profit for the period of €2.6 million, double the €1.3 million in the same period last year, the Nassau-based company announced Thursday. Revenue in the first six months of 2023 was 138.1 million euros, compared with 136.3 million in the first half of the previous year - an increase of 1.3 percent. In Germany, sales growth was above average at 2.4 percent to 61.6 million euros.

In the important household products segment, which alone accounted for sales of EUR 115.0 million (prior-year period: EUR 113.4 million), increased consumer interest in energy-saving products had a positive impact. For example, more people are opting for rotary dryers and floor-standing dryers instead of electronic dryers. In the second half of the year, Leifheit also intends to focus on electricity- and CO2-saving household products.

Despite the development in the first half of the year, the market environment remains difficult in view of continued high inflation and a reluctance to buy on the part of consumers, the company emphasized. Increased prices for energy, logistics and raw materials are also a challenge, it added. In view of this, Leifheit expects a slight decline in consolidated turnover for 2023 as a whole, which had stood at € 251.5 million in 2022./chs/DP/mis