The German furniture industry is establishing itself more and more successfully on the North American market. This became clear in the virtual meeting of the Export Working Group of the Furniture Industry Associations. 'In view of the current weakness in consumption in Europe, the North American furniture market is playing an increasingly important role for German furniture manufacturers,' said VDM foreign trade expert Alexander Oswald in his welcome address.
In the first seven months of this year alone, the German furniture industry was able to increase exports to the USA by 5.6%, he continued. 'This means an increase to over 158 million euros.'
This year, German manufacturers once again presented themselves in collaboration with AMK at KBIS in Las Vegas. The participation organised by the furniture associations within the "German Pavilion" has proven to be a successful model, which will continue in 2025. Photo: VDM.
Furniture "Made in Germany" continues to enjoy a high reputation among North American consumers. The German kitchen furniture industry increased its sales in the USA by 18.2% in the first seven months of 2024, while the upholstered furniture industry increased by 14.6% compared to the same period last year. This makes the United States the most important export market for the German furniture industry outside Europe.
Due to the great importance of the export business – around a third of sales are generated abroad – the associations of the German furniture industry have been relying on an extensive foreign trade fair programme for years. This is partly funded by the federal government. VDM foreign trade expert Alexander Oswald gave an overview of the trade fair participations in the current year. With the participation of the furniture associations, two sponsored joint stands were realised: both at the KBIS kitchen trade fair in Las Vegas and at the Clerkenwell Design Week in London, the German Pavilions reached customers from all over the world.
This success will be built on in the coming year, Oswald continued. In 2025, in addition to Las Vegas (25-27 February) and London (20-22 May), further funded "German Pavilions" are planned at the Index / Hotel Show in Dubai (27-29 May) and at Orgatec in Tokyo (3-5 June). 'The subsidy can be claimed by any company producing in Germany,' Oswald explained. The minimum number of participants in a "German Pavilion" is 10 exhibitors, and even a stand size of 9 square metres is eligible for funding. "This offers companies a very good opportunity to advance their export business while keeping costs in check," said the foreign trade expert.
In addition to the trade fairs, the legal rules and standards for the American market were also on the agenda of the working group. TÜV Rheinland expert Stephan Pesch gave a comprehensive overview of this. He also gave hints on pitfalls and tips on how manufacturers can avoid them. The Cologne-based company has maintained a testing center for furniture in the US state of Michigan since 2020.
The experts agreed that not only stationary sales, but also online retail in particular continue to offer good opportunities to generate sales. Justin Oakes from Walmart Marketplace explained how this can work in concrete terms.
The Export Working Group was founded in 2018. With his support, the furniture associations want to strengthen the industry's foreign activities in the long term. In addition to North America and China, the focus markets are also the Middle East and important European export markets.
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