Beyond Covid Conference: Furniture Focus | 65
FURNITURE SECTOR
THE PANDEMIC’S IMPACT ON THE
The furniture industry is a massive customer of the wood panels industry, but how has it fared during the pandemic? In our Beyond Covid panel discussion
tackling the subject, Stephen Powney asked questions of several key industry representatives. The panel was made up of Paolo Fantoni, president of Fantoni SpA and president of the European Panel Federation; Ulrich Bühler, head of sales and marketing at Egger Group; and Edi Snaidero, chairman of the European Furniture Industries Confederation
STEPHEN POWNEY: HOW HAS THE EUROPEAN FURNITURE SECTOR FARED DURING THE PANDEMIC? Edi Snaidero (ES): It was a difficult year for the European furniture industry but not dramatic – the sector reduced 7.4% in 2019-20. Some sub-sectors were more affected, such as the office furniture sector which was down 11%. The kitchen segment was only -0.1% and was one of the better performing areas, showing the focus was on the home. The pandemic brought people home and home became more important than before. Home furniture had a reduction of 10%, but within this bedroom and kids’ furniture had a wonderful performance because of e-learning. One of the main factors affecting the furniture industry was the closing of shops for specific periods in several countries. Quarter 3 and Q4, 2020 were wonderful because there was a recovery in almost all sectors and this is a very good sign for the future, despite all the difficulties with logistics and lack of material.
Top left: Paolo Fantoni Top right: Ulrich Bühler
Bottom left: Edi Snaidero Bottom right: Stephen Powney debate the furniture sector
Ulrich Bühler (UB): The furniture industry is a very important customer group for Egger, roughly 40% of our turnover. And 80% of our business is related to interior design, shopfitting and carpentry etc. The first phase of lockdown was a shock for everybody, especially the UK and France. Then in July 2020 we saw a sharp increase in order income from all the customer bases in all the markets. In the first lockdown we did not see any hit from the building industry, which is 10-15% of our turnover. A lot of construction sites have remained open so we have been able to supply our customers, even the DIY shops have been opened. ►
www.ttjonline.com | July/August 2021 | TTJ
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