Deceuninck's sales fell by almost 4 percent in 2011

(Reuters) -- Belgian group Deceuninck"s sales fell by almost 4 percent in 2011 as gloomier consumers spent less money on its high-tech PVC window frames, it said on Thursday.

"The worldwide economic environment impacted consumer confidence in most regions, this reduced the willingness to invest in insulation improvements in the residential market," Chief Executive Tom Debusschere said in a statement.

In its home country, people were the most pessimistic in January that they have been for two and a half years due to government austerity measures and the financial crisis, data from the central bank showed last week.

Deceuninck"s sales decline, however, was less steep than the 20 percent fall it saw in 2009, when the banking crisis was in full swing.

Full-year sales of EUR536 million (USD 695.4 million) were broadly in line with analysts" consensus.

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