Germany Furniture Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Germany Furniture Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Germany is one of the leading furniture exporters in the European Union and this makes it one of the most lucrative markets for the furniture industry. Some of the major export markets of German furniture include France. The sources of imports include Poland, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Italy.

Furniture made of natural materials combined with innovative design is one of the upcoming trends in the German furniture market. Foreign premium producers could find big margins in this specific market section. Generally, there is a significant trend towards natural material although these materials are getting more expensive. The fact that labor cost in Germany is comparatively high and furniture production is labor-intensive, the production requirement is carried out in countries such as China and Bosnia due to their cheap labor cost. Therefore, one out of ten pieces of furniture sold in Germany is imported from China.

Germany’s kitchen furniture industry is witnessing high growth not only in terms of sales but also in terms of technology and new innovative product design launches. The order intake in 2018 shows German kitchen furniture manufacturers achieving sales growth of 6.7 percent in international business and 7.28 percent domestically. The trend for the home and bedroom furniture is more driven towards international sales and thus, growth is largely being driven by the export trade, i.e. only those firms with a strong focus on exports are benefitting from the positive trend.

Key Market TrendsOffice Furniture Segment Witnesses Strong Growth

The German office furniture segment witnessed an industry-wide sales growth of 4.4% in 2019. The industry has been recording a stable upward trend for since past 5 years' annual sales with a significant rise in office furniture sales. The number of employees at German office furniture manufacturers has also grown by nearly 4% percent compared to 2017. In addition, the order intake was at times so high that in many companies special shifts were required to meet the demand.

A high increase is also being witnessed in the exports of german office furniture products. The export market sales rose by nearly 5.9 percent with the major product selling categories including office swivel chairs for health-promoting seating. In addition to the main export markets of France, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland, demand from Italy, the Benelux countries and Eastern Europe developed particularly well. The demand for ergonomic equipment for home offices and other workplaces outside of the company locations is increasing. Industry experts see digitization as a key factor in continued strong demand for redesigned office workplaces. These factors are anticipated to fuel the growth of office furniture in the upcoming years.

Growing Potential in the German Online Furniture Market

German retailers have started offering 3D product visualizations or augmented reality apps which are boosting the demand for furniture products through eCommerce portals in the country. The sale of furniture products online is slowly gaining momentum in Germany with retailers such as Ikea and Otto adopting various strategies such as omnichannel strategies.

With omnichannel concepts that combine stationary showrooms with online distribution channels and technological innovations, as well as uncomplicated and consumer-friendly exchange processes for online purchases, retailers can overcome the existing resistance. and this will set a growth path for online sales of furniture products that offer large growth potential for the German furniture market.

As per a study conducted by OTTO which is a leading e-commerce retailer in Germany, the sale of furniture and household goods via online channels is becoming increasingly important and the online sales in furniture have grown by nearly 15% from 2014 to 2017 which indicates strong growth potential for e-commerce in the furniture segment.

Competitive Landscape

The German furniture industry is highly competitive with the presence of both local as well as international players. The market is fragmented with the players occupying the traditional space. With an increase in e-commerce, companies are moving towards selling their goods online. Some of the prominent companies include Otto, Amazon.de, Dedon, Siematic and Nolte.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

Companies Mentioned
 
Okamura Corporation
Kokuyo
Itoki
Uchida Yoko
Kurogane
Steelcase
Herman Miller
Haworth
HNI Corporation
Bene
Sedus Stoll
Martela
Scandinavian Business Seating

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