Back In Business: The Professional Cleaning Market in Germany Is on the Rebound

After experiencing some strong gains and simultaneous declines in 2020 as a result of business closures, the I&I cleaning market is on the rebound in Germany.   

The first nationwide measures in response to COVID-19, implemented on March 22, 2020, reduced the consumption of various cleaning products in many end-use segments through 2020 and even into 2021, leading to declines in sales of laundry products, dishwashing chemicals, and some floor and specialty surface cleaning products. But despite the drastic protocols – which included partial lockdowns; closings of foodservice, recreational facilities, and educational institutions; and suspension of non-emergency visits to healthcare facilities, all as there was a rapid shift to work-from-home situations for many employees – the German market experienced strong surges in sales of other products like hand care and surface disinfectants, driven by increased cleaning frequency and a focus on killing germs. 

Germany’s hospitality industry witnessed very steep declines in 2020; in fact, this end-use segment has been suffering directly or indirectly from all sorts of restraints: lockdowns, travel restrictions, and occupancy level restrictions, among many others. Similarly, recreational facilities were among the first facilities to have restrictions imposed, as these venues often host large-scale events and activities. This led to a sharp decrease in cleaning consumption, and most of these venues did not reopen until 2021.  

However, the healthcare sector drove a large spike in demand for cleaning products, as facilities in the sector have vulnerable populations and remained open as their janitorial staffs cleaned much more frequently than before the pandemic. Consumption of general-purpose surface cleaners—particularly disinfectants and sanitizers—increased significantly. In foodservice, tables, serving areas, and other high-touch areas were wiped down frequently.  

By summer and fall 2021, the Delta and Omicron variants emerged as highly contagious forms of coronavirus, and they are anticipated to lead to prolonged, increased usage of surface disinfectants and sanitizers. This will especially be the case for foodservice facilities in end-use segments with vulnerable populations, such as hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and schools.   

As segments like restaurants, hotels, schools and universities, and recreational venues return to typical operations, these segments are expected to contribute to strong growth as they progress through a recovery phase.  In the future, surface cleaning and hand care products are expected to increase even more as facilities return to traditional consumption levels, with returning office workers, students, and diners. Disinfectants and sanitizers will continue to be consumed in greater quantities compared to prior to the pandemic, and these products are expected to remain an important part of new protocols even post-pandemic, at least for the foreseeable future. 

Kline’s just-published report, Industrial & Institutional Cleaning Products In Germany, provides sales data and market insights on a wide range of professional cleaning categories, end-use segments, and leading suppliers as well as a detailed forecast from 2021 through 2025. For more details, contact us.

About this blog:

Back In Business: The Professional Cleaning Marketing in Germany Is on the Rebound was written by Laura Mahecha, manager of Kline’s Institutional and Industrial Cleaning segment. Mahecha has followed the Industrial & Institutional (I&I), Healthcare, and Consumer Products markets for Kline since 1995; during this time, she has authored and managed multiple studies including market research, analysis, and writing for the I&I industries, OTC pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and nutritional supplements. 

Mahecha’s expertise is utilized in various studies on the I&I and nonprescription drug markets, Rx-to-OTC switch, managed care, competitive analysis, competitor cost structures, innovation analyses, forecasting, janitorial cleaning products, foodservice cleaning products, and laundry cleaning products. She has also contributed to numerous articles and speeches for international and U.S. trade conferences and publications.  

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