markets and channels and the value we bring to our customers. Our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 were adversely impacted as a result of COVID-19. Demand for our products decreased as compared to 2019 as the pandemic continued and various governmental measures were imposed to combat the spread of the virus. Fourth quarter net sales improved when compared to the third quarter of 2020, as did quarter-over-quarter order rates. The exact timing and pace of the recovery remain uncertain and are impacted by different markets which are now experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Future sales expansion or contraction is dependent on the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the time it takes for normal economic and operating conditions to resume, the easing of the construction lending markets, improvements in overall investments and capital spending in building services construction markets, additional governmental actions that may be taken, and numerous other uncertainties, including the time to administer and inoculate a sufficient population with the recently approved vaccines or the introduction of new therapeutic treatments.
We continue to be concerned about the far reaching impacts of the pandemic on our business, operations and financial results and conditions, directly and indirectly, including, without limitation, impacts on the health of our employees, manufacturing capabilities, supply chains, distribution networks, sales opportunities, customer and consumer behaviors, and the overall economy. The scope and nature of these potential impacts are pervasive, and many impacts are beyond our control and continue to evolve.
Many of our products qualify as “essential products” under local, state and national guidelines and orders. We remain focused on protecting the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate while maintaining the continuity of our business operations. We created a COVID-19 Task Force to develop and implement a coordinated response to protect our employees while maintaining production capabilities, and we have implemented social distancing guidelines and temperature monitoring, provided personal protective equipment, established a COVID-19 website for employees, which includes the latest CDC and other government protocols, and promoted work-from-home where practical. We are in communication with both customers and suppliers, we established a COVID-19 customer hotline in the US to support critical infrastructure projects, and we worked with our suppliers to ensure they could obtain the “essential” product classification from various government organizations.
In response to the business impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we undertook several cost management actions in order to reduce costs, including merit deferrals, compensation reductions, furloughs, reduced discretionary spending, factory overhead cost reductions, and reductions-in-force and other exit activities initiated in the second and third quarters of 2020. In addition to the cost actions noted above, we also implemented various measures to conserve cash and ensure its availability. We entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement on April 24, 2020, we temporarily suspended our stock repurchase program during the second quarter, which was reinstated on June 29, 2020, maintained a flat dividend rate, and deferred employer payroll tax payments as permitted under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). We have also implemented additional procedures to manage risks related to our working capital, specifically the collectability of our trade accounts receivable, by monitoring the financial stability, credit rating, payment terms and credit limits of our credit customers.
Due to the above circumstances and as described generally in this Form 10-K, our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of future results. Management cannot predict the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sales, supply chain, manufacturing and distribution or on economic conditions generally, including the effects on customer spending. The extent of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on us remain uncertain and will depend on future developments, and such effects could exist for an extended period of time even after the pandemic ends. For further information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on us, see Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”
Financial Overview
Net sales for 2020 decreased 5.7%, or $91.9 million, on a reported basis and 6.8%, or $109.0 million, on an organic basis, compared to 2019, primarily due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across all of our operating segments. The reported decline was partially offset by an increase in sales from favorable foreign exchange movements of 0.5%, or $7.2 million, primarily driven by a stronger euro, and a net increase in acquired/divested sales of $9.9 million. Organic sales is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impacts of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign exchange from year-over-year comparisons. Management believes reporting organic sales growth provides useful information to investors, potential investors and others, because it allows for additional insight into underlying sales trends by providing sales growth on a consistent basis. We reconcile the change in organic sales to our reported sales for each region within our results below. Operating income of $181.1 million decreased by $16.0 million, or 8.1%, in 2020 compared to 2019. This decrease was primarily driven by lower sales volume as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher general inflation, including tariffs, strategic investments and incremental restructuring costs, partially offset by benefits from