Shipments of Hand-Held Outdoor Appliances to Decrease in 2008, Says OPEI Nov 26, 2007

Printable format  Email this Article  Search

For the remainder of 2007, shipments of hand-held outdoor equipment products will decrease, according to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). The Association says that an increase in shipments will not occur until the end of 2008 or beginning of 2009.

Hand-held blower shipments are forecast to decrease by 1.7% for the 2007 year (January-December), although the July 2007 forecast estimated a 1.9% increase in shipments. The forecast for backpack blowers reflects a smaller increase (1.5%) in shipments than indicated in July 2007 (4.8%). The percentage increase in trimmer shipments is also forecast to be lower than estimated in July 2007 with shipments expected to increase by 0.8% rather than the predicted 4.3%. 

However, says OPEI, the news is not altogether bad for backpack blowers or trimmers, as the expected increase in shipments, even though the increase is now smaller than previously forecast, shows growth for the two products in comparison to model year 2006.  Chain saw shipments are expected to decrease by 5.5%, moving the forecast lower than July 2007's forecast of a 4.3% decrease in chain saw shipments.

Back to Daily News