Prime Minister Meloni inaugurates the Salone del Mobile
After strong growth in 2021, the turnover of Italian furniture continued to show good vitality, closing lor last year with a +11.1% on 2021. A leap that has allowed our country to surpass the German competitors. Not Italy is in fourth place for growth behind Sweden, Spain and Poland. The picture that emerges from the research on “Prospects for the Italian furniture industry”, carried out by the Studies and Research Department of Intesa Sanpaolo on the occasion of Salone del Mobile 2023the most important exhibition in the world for the sector.
The Prime Minister was also at the inauguration of the Salone, Giorgia Meloni. “With Covid, the home, furniture, they have become a piece of ours identity, much more than simply our shelter – said Meloni. “There are many important things that need to be encouraged and we are working on it – the Prime Minister then underlined. -The brand is the most valuable thing we haveprovided that we are able to defend and enhance it”. “We are working with the ministries to design a framework that makes the wood sector independent, combining environmental and economic sustainability – concluded the premier. – We want to aim for one 100% made in Italy wood-furniture supply chain”.
Italy wins on foreign markets
Returning to the research, the success of Italian producers on foreign markets is confirmed. Exports, in particular, rose by 13.4% in 2022, driven by direct sales to United States, France, United Kingdom and Germany, but also from the performances of United Arab Emirates and Canada. Il trade balance strengthened to 9.3 billion, 9% of the manufacturing totalalso by virtue of the good results shown by the majority of the furniture districts.
In particular, the vigorous growth in exports of the districts stands out wood-furniture from Brianza, Treviso and furniture from Pordenone (+14.4% compared to 2021). Expect a good stability of the margins for the Southern businesses and for the larger ones, despite ‘the jump in the cost of energy, raw materials and transport.
The future
As for 2023, furniture sales are expected to continue to grow (+3.7%), still supported by foreign markets and by the demand for Made in Italy products in important markets such as the United States and China, recovering in the post-Covid period. In perspective, for furniture companies, it will be crucial to accelerate on the front of strategic investments, made even more urgent by the energy crisisincluding the optimization of energy supply contracts, the investments in a green perspective, digitization and research and development.
The Italian furniture industry has approx 16,000 companies and employs 125,000 people, 3.4% of the total manufacturing. I’m at the Salone del Mobile 330,000 people from 188 nations are expected.