While the market for glass, porcelain, and ceramic in Germany (GPK Market), thanks to pandemic-related catch-up effects in 2022, experienced the strongest growth in recent years at a rate of 13.2 percent, demand noticeably declined last year in 2023. Customers have already caught up on postponed purchases from the pandemic period and are also in savings mode due to the high price level. This is reflected in the market development:
With a decrease of 6.6 percent, the market volume in 2023 dropped to 7.2 billion euros. This is shown by the new "GPK | Household Goods Industry Report" by IFH KÖLN in collaboration with BBE Handelsberatung. While the market still exceeds the pre-pandemic level, market experts forecast further revenue losses in the coming years before the market is expected to stabilize from 2026 onwards.
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'The pandemic significantly boosted the GPK market, with a remarkable increase in private consumption and subsequent positive demand from commercial customers, but the real challenge lies in adapting to the post-pandemic reality with varying growth rates between segments and the increasing influence of inflation on consumer prices,' explains Dr. Philipp Hoog, Member of the Management Board and Head of Strategy Consulting at BBE Handelsberatung, regarding the results of the GPK industry report.
All product groups in decline
The GPK market is divided into three product groups: Tavola (including glass and tableware), Cucina (including cooking, frying, and baking utensils), and Domus (including decorative porcelain/ceramic and gift items). All three submarkets experienced a decline in revenue in 2023, with Domus suffering the largest loss.
Despite a significant decline, the Cucina submarket, which was already growing before the pandemic, still accounts for 43.9 percent of the total market share. Tavola, despite the smallest decline in comparison between submarkets, still represents only a quarter of the market share. However, according to the forecast, it is expected to experience the highest growth among the submarkets until 2028.
GPK Market to stabilise by 2028
The current downward trend of the GPK market will continue in the coming years. Possible reasons for this include current saturation effects and the ongoing consumer reluctance to spend. According to the forecast by IFH KÖLN and BBE Handelsberatung, the market will generate revenue growth for the first time again from 2026 onwards. By then, the economy in Germany is expected to have recovered. In addition, real wages will gradually increase, thereby steadily increasing the scope for spending in the GPK sector. By 2028, market revenue should exceed seven billion euros again – a projection that also takes price increases into account.
'The price increases in the GPK market reached their peak in 2022. Currently, prices are still rising but are back to a normal level. Real wages are expected to rise for the first time in 2024, with an expected increase of 3 percent, which will have a positive impact on consumption in the long term,' forecasts Christoph Lamsfuß, Senior Consultant at IFH KÖLN.
More information:
IFH KÖLN
www.ifhkoeln.de