According to surveys by the Federal Statistical Office, the German furniture industry achieved sales of 12.3 billion euros from January to September of this year, a decrease of 8.4 percent compared to the same period last year. In the domestic market, the 415 companies (with 50 or more employees) recorded a decline in sales of 7.7 percent. Foreign sales fell by 9.6 percent. The export share fell slightly to 33.0 (previous year: 33.5) percent.
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'The difficult macroeconomic environment continues to pose major challenges for our industry,' says Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the German Furniture Industry Associations. In particular, the faltering housing construction, the excessive bureaucracy and the uncertainty of consumers weighed on German furniture producers. Many companies are currently using the instrument of short-time work.
However, the gradual recovery of the consumer climate is a reason for cautious optimism. 'Our association statistics also indicate a certain stabilization of the order situation,' reports Kurth. For example, all three sectors recorded (kitchen, upholstered and home furniture) recorded at least slight increases in order intake by value and unit in October. In addition, the sales development in the third quarter was less weak than in the first half of the year (minus 9.7 percent), with a minus of 5.5 percent.
In the first nine months of this year, the "Other Furniture" segment, which also includes living, dining and bedroom furniture, suffered the greatest losses. At 3.7 billion euros, the division's sales were 13 percent lower than in the previous year. In the upholstered furniture industry, sales fell by 9 percent to 715 million euros. At around 4.3 billion euros, kitchen furniture manufacturers were a good 8 percent below the previous year's level. Manufacturers of office and shop furniture saw sales fall by almost 3 percent to 3.2 billion euros. The mattress division also declined (minus 2.8 percent, to around 380 million euros).
'The topic of housing construction belongs at the top of the agenda in the election campaign that is now beginning,' Kurth demands. 'We urgently need impetus to strengthen the demand for construction. A future federal government must act very quickly to mitigate the social and economic upheavals that are already visible. The simplification and targeted bundling of funding programmes would be the first steps here.'
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