Hearing aid market Brexit decline

The British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA) has released the Q4 2019 results of its members, revealing strong performance in non-NHS unit sales to round off 2019.

According to the data, private unit sales were particularly strong in Q4, up 9.7 per cent on the same period in 2018 and up 8.1 per cent in Q3 2019.

Across the entire year, private sales saw an increase of 6.9 per cent in 2018.

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The growth in the private sector stands in contrast to NHS sales, which experienced sales spikes and dips across Q1,Q2 and Q3 as a result of no-deal Brexit purchasing.

Over Q4 2019, NHS units were essentially flat, although they were up 2.2 per cent on Q3 2019.

Over the whole of 2019, the NHS was up by 10.2 per cent, although some of this growth was due to stockpiling in preparation for a possible hard Brexit with stock then held over into 2020.

BIHIMA-Q4-hearing-market-data_UK-chart

The results from Ireland demonstrate a similar pattern to the UK private market says the BIHIMA, with Q4 unit sales up 30 per cent on Q4 2018 and up 40 per cent on Q3 2019. Over the whole of 2019, units were up 12.3 per cent over 2018.

The Association also tracks the trends in the styles of technology selected by patients in the private sector, with Receiver in The Ear (RITE) and Receiver in Canal (RIC) aids continuing to remain popular amongst consumers.

According to the research, RITE/RIC now accounts for 78 per cent of all sales – a growth of 7.1 percentage points over the year.

This growth has come mainly from the larger custom styles which have dropped by a third over a year, states the BIHIMA), with the smaller custom styles dropping by 20 per cent.

“These are very robust results to have ended 2019 with,” commented Paul Surridge, Chairman of the BIHIMA.

“We anticipate an even stronger performance in 2020 as our members continue to develop new solutions in response to both the NHS and private markets and supporting the increasing number of people with hearing loss in the UK and Ireland.”

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https://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BIHIMA-Q4-hearing-market-data_UK-chart.jpghttps://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BIHIMA-Q4-hearing-market-data_UK-chart-150x150.jpgCalvin BarnettNewsroomNHSReports & ResearchSector NewsBIHIMA,Brexit,British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association,hearing aids,NHS,no deal Brexit,sales,stockpilingThe British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA) has released the Q4 2019 results of its members, revealing strong performance in non-NHS unit sales to round off 2019. According to the data, private unit sales were particularly strong in Q4, up 9.7 per cent on the same period in...News, views & products for mobility, access and independent living professionals