April 4, 2005

MAFSI Releases Q4 Business Barometer

Manufacturers’ representatives are predicting overall sales growth of 5.6% in 2005, according to MAFSI’s most recent quarterly Business Barometer. This is the strongest year-over-year growth prediction ever registered by the Barometer.

Reps in all five MAFSI regions predicted solid growth in 2005. Representatives in Canada forecast 2005 sales growth of 7.5%. Reps in the West anticipate their sales to grow by 5.7%, followed by reps in the Midwest and Northeast at 5.5% each. Manufacturers’ representatives in the South forecast their overall sales to grow by 5.1% in 2005.

For the fourth quarter of 2004, overall sales growth increased by 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2004 vs. the same period a year earlier.

According to the study, which is based on a survey of manufacturers’ representatives, sales in all the four broad product categories grew at roughly the same rate in Q4. Equipment sales increased by 2.7%, supplies by 2.7%, furniture by 2.5% and tabletop by 2.3%.

By region, Canada posted the strongest overall sales growth in the fourth quarter. Total sales in that region increased by 7%. Equipment sales posted the strongest performance of the four product categories, increasing by 8.4%. Furniture sales grew by 6% and tabletop by 3%. Supplies sales fell by 2.2% compared to the year-ago period.

MAFSI’s Northeast region boasted an overall sales increase of 2.5%, led by tabletop sales, which grew by 6.9% compared to Q4 of 2003. Supplies sales grew by 5.2%, furniture by 4% and equipment by 2.9%.

Representatives in the South reported 2.4% total sales growth in the fourth quarter. Furniture sales in the region grew by 9.2%, tabletop by 3.1%, supplies by 2.9% and equipment by 1.7%.

Representatives’ sales in the West increased by 2.4% overall. Sales of furniture grew by 3.4%, equipment by 2.9% and supplies by 2.7%. Sales of tabletop items fell by 1.6% during the fourth quarter.

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