Wholesaling: Restrictive order plans

The downward trend in wholesaling continued in March. The firms increasingly reported a poor business situation and were even more sceptical regarding the business outlook. Wholesalers plan to reduce their orders further. On balance, 40% of the firms intend to place fewer orders in the coming three months than at the same time last year. Their plans also call for more reductions in personnel. The survey participants reported further declines in prices, and this trend is expected to continue in the second quarter.