According to data released by the Italian Federation of the Wood and Furniture Industry (Federlegno Arredo), the country's furniture industry has entered a stage of recovery.
In 2021, the turnover of the Italian furniture industry will reach 49 billion euros, an increase of 25.7% from 2020 and a 14% increase from 43 billion euros in 2019 before the epidemic.
The export results are also gratifying. In 2021, the export value of Italian furniture will be 18 billion euros, which is 20.6% higher than that in 2020 and 7.3% higher than that in 2019. The turnover of furniture in Italy increased by 28.9% year-on-year, compared with 18.5% in 2019.
According to Federlegno Arredo, after the downturn in 2020, the industry is gradually recovering, and it can even be said that it has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, but the high cost of energy, shortage of raw materials, and logistics and transportation costs are likely to increase in 2022. The first half of the year had a considerable impact on the sales of wooden furniture. Combined with the potential impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on energy and wood costs, the recent sluggish Italian wood furniture market may worsen.
"From a year-on-year decline of 9.1% in 2020 to a double-digit growth of 25.7% in 2021, 2021 will undoubtedly be a very impressive year for revenue." Federation President Claudio Feltrin said.
"This year has also demonstrated how wood furniture companies have dealt with the crisis of the past two years more than any other industry. They continue to invest and innovate in a positive spirit to face the health, social and economic issues facing the world."
Feeling added: “There is a huge amount of uncertainty in the industry in general due to the situation at the beginning of 2022. It is true that we have a series of problems that may prevent the industry from recovering, so we must maintain turnover at least in 2021. At the level of the year, I believe that normal life will come as soon as possible.”