In Germany it was not possible to match the high level of business of the previous year. Nevertheless, we achieved further growth in all our segments, with the exception of reverse vending systems, which had propelled sales to an unusually high level in 2005/2006.

Overall, retail (Glossary)  business in Europe was solid. This was helped by corporate investment in Western Europe for the replacement and modernization of retail checkout processes. There was further growth in standardization software. Eastern Europe was marked by renewed momentum in the retail business, with the expansion of international retail (Glossary)  groups for which we have long provided IT solutions. At the same time, we were able to secure a series of new orders from local retailers.

Viewed on the basis of U.S. dollars, business in the Asia/Pacific/Africa region showed a substantial rise compared to the previous year, with particular success in the highly promising Indian market.

As part of our growth strategy, we took further steps to refocus our retail operations in the Americas.