Spanish furniture trade: 2021 annual report

The Spanish National Association of Furniture Manufacturers and Exporters (ANIEME) has released the Spanish furniture foreign trade report for the year 2021. Figures reveal that, during this period, Spain’s furniture exports grew by 25.5%, exceeding 2,613 million euros. It is worth highlighting the market diversity and the good performance in countries such as France, United States, Morocco, Portugal…

Insights on global furniture development

According to CSIL’s report, global furniture production will see a substantial recovery in the next years, owing mostly to the significant contribution from Europe and Asia. In 2020, the Covid-pandemic caused stagnation, but 2021 was a year of rapid growth, with promising prospects for 2022 and 2023. However, supply chain and transportation problems, energy prices, and the economic impact of the Ukraine-Russia war contribute all to uncertainty.

Asia and the Pacific were the main furniture production regions, with more than half of world furniture produced in 2021. The leading exporting countries are China, which is also the main producer, Vietnam, Poland, Germany, and Italy. Regarding imports, the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands are the main destination markets for furniture.

On the consumption side, the lockdown made people realize the importance of a nice home environment and, as a result, consumers have substantially increased their investments in furniture to improve their living spaces. For this reason, the pandemic’s impact on global furniture consumption was limited and significant growth resumed in 2021, with furniture consumption exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

For 2022, former forecasts for worldwide furniture consumption predicted a growth rate of +4% approximately with European and Asian countries having a greater rebound in furniture consumption growth.

Exports of Spanish furniture closed 2021 with positive figures

During 2021, Spanish furniture exports exceeded 2,613 million euros, registering an unprecedented growth of +25.2%, compared to 2020. This is a historic result, because this growth rate far exceed those obtained in years prior to the Covid-pandemic.

January-December	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Quantity (millions of euros)	2,064	2,113	2,215	2,318	2,086	2,613
Growth (%)	+11.1	+2.4	+4.8	+4.7	-10	+25.2

Source: ESTACOM/ ANIEME

Exports by destination: Spain’s main markets for furniture

When comparing this year’s export figures to 2020’s, we can see considerable increases of Spanish furniture sales in all top markets. The situation has completely changed: from large decreases to substantial growth rates in almost all Spain’s major markets.

The EU countries continue to be the main destination markets for Spanish furniture. France, Portugal, Germany, and the United Kingdom concentrate the 60.3% of the exports and rank among the six first top markets for Spain’s furnishing products. Except for Italy, all of them show a double-digit increase on their purchases, confirming the importance of Spanish furniture in their markets.

	2020	2021	% of Total	Growth
France	653,726.8	797,536.4	30.5%	+22.0%
Portugal	306,046.1	365,260.7	14.0%	+19.3%
United States	104,925.6	181,733.2	7.0%	+73.2%
Germany	140,229.2	174.714.6	6.7%	+24.6%
Italy	117,097.9	127,927.4	4.9%	+9.2%
United Kingdom	97,872.4	109,255.2	4.2%	+11.6%
Morocco	79,481.8	100,443.7	3.8%	+26.4%
The Netherlands	41,391.0	59,513.4	2.3%	+43.8%
Poland	2,.533.9	48,753.6	1.9%	+90.9%
Belgium	37,091.9	44,391.8	1.7%	+19.7%

Source: ESTACOM / ANIEME, thousand of euros

France maintains its leading position in the ranking, accounting for 30% of total exports of furniture and registering a growth rate of +22%. In the same way, Germany stands out for its 24.6% increase compared to 2020. Portugal and the United Kingdom, which rank 2^nd and 6^th respectively, have raised their acquisition of Spanish furniture by over 10%. In addition, Poland’s growth is also remarkable, almost doubling the value of its imports of Spanish furniture compared to 2020.

On the other hand, despite the strong concentration on the European market, Spanish furniture manufacturers have built stronger business connections with countries outside of the Old Continent.

The results have been more than positive. Emblematic is the case of the United States the have increased their imports of Spanish products by +73.2% reaching the value of 182 million euros. These figures turn this country into the 3^rd main destination market for Spanish furniture, and the 1^st international market outside the EU area. On the other side of the Mediterranean, exports to Morocco, which ranked 7^th in 2021, have also registered a remarkable increase by +26,4%.

Sales to other countries from different continents such as Japan, South Africa, the Dominican Republic, and Kuwait also show outstanding growth rates, +78.7%, +67.6%, +29.7% and +27.7% respectively. These facts are a sign that the international presence of Spanish furniture brands outside of EU’s borders is growing and consolidating.

2021: Spain’s imports of furniture rise by +26%

Throughout 2021, Spain’s imports of furniture amounted to over 3,567 million euro, registering a growth of +26% compared to 2020, a year in which the imports suffered an -11% decrease. It should be noted that, China, with a +57% increase, continues to be Spain’s main supplier of imported furniture, accounting for 31.2% of total imports.

Credits:

ANIEME – Spanish National Association of Furniture Manufacturers & Exporters
CSIL, World Furniture International Markets Review, 93 March 2022