Great success for i Saloni

331,649 visitors attended the event. 292,370 the professional operators, 188,579 of them coming from over 160 countries (the 64.5 percent of the total, 5.9 percent more than 2011), responding to the “A Milano. Dove, se no?” (“In Milan. Where else?”) campaign slogan promoting the events. This year, in addition to the traditional tandem of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (International Furniture Exhibition) and the Salone del Complemento d’Arredo (International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition), with an international panorama ranging from classical to modern through design, the biennial EuroCucina (International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition, accompanied by the “FTK-Technology For the Kitchen” event) and the Salone internazionale del bagno (International Bathroom Exhibition) exhibitions were also held, including the lively SaloneSatellite reserved for young “under 35” designers who shared an integrated layout of exhibition research and innovation.  

The Saloni is a winning concept that is never the same two years running. Following the experience of the Salone del bagno, this year EuroCucina also presented furnishings and accessories that contribute to making the kitchen more comfortable and social.

However, the record number of visitors and exhibitors together with the euphoria that has always distinguished the springtime appointment with the design Saloni did not conceal the disappointing results in a sector that continues to be affected by the recession. The year-end results for the Wooden Furniture macro-system published in March 2012 show a fall in production turnover of 4.2 percent in comparison to the original forecast of 3.3%, nearly one per cent less, for a value of over Eur 32 billion.  

This considerable knock comes after the 18 percent drop in turnover in the sector in 2009 and the 1.9% growth in 2010, taking account of the fact that the fall in turnover in the wood furnishing sector is the result of the 4.8 percent fall in the Furnishings macro-system and the 3.1% fall in the wood-construction and furnishings sector (including all wood products for the construction industry). The result demonstrates how the furnishing sector is now ever more closely linked to the performance of the construction industry. There is a clear relation between domestic consumption and exports: out of a production turnover down by 4.8 percent, static at Eur 20.2 billion, apparent domestic consumption fell by 9.7% (Eur 13 billion against 14.4 billion in 2010), while exports rose by 4.3% (EUR 10.4 billion).

The solution, according to Made in Italy entrepreneurs, can only be found by regaining ground in retail and the purchasing power of Italians. They propose the introduction of a purchase incentive for the first set of furniture, just like the current incentives for purchasing a family’s first home with VAT set at 4%.  

So in what direction is the “Made in Italy” furniture sector going? Cosmit-Fla figures highlight an important amount of trade with Russia (up by 11% on 2010), the fourth largest output market for Italian furniture, and Ukraine (up 20.9%); the Middle East and UAE also rose (8.4%) and Saudi Arabia (22%), while the US (5%) is also beginning to return. In 2011, China imported 34.3% more Italian furniture than the previous year, gaining a position as 13^th most important output market for Italy. In Europe, the strongest markets continued to be France (up by 4.1%) and Germany (6.7%), together with a good performance in Switzerland (11.5%), Belgium (5%) and Austria (6.5%).