German furniture industry: a good 2021

According to Jan Kurth, managing director of the German furniture industry associations (VDM/VHK), 2021 was positive for the German furniture industry, despite adverse framework conditions. In fact, sales increased by around two percent to 17.5 billion euros and therefore developed better than expected. While positive, the sector has not yet reached the level of 2019: ​​17.9 billion euros (sales volume).

Not just positives, there were significant bottlenecks in many important commodities in 2021. German manufacturers are currently still grappling with the aftermath of pandemic-related disruptions in supply chains and, in the most recent association survey, 44 percent of companies surveyed reported that their production was limited or delayed even early on. 2022 due to material shortages.

In terms of exports, German furniture has proven to be a growth engine during 2021 with sales increasing by around five percent to 5.6 billion euros. Against the backdrop of the long phase of trade closures – the second lockdown lasted from mid-December 2020 to May 2021 – domestic sales only increased by 0.5 percent to 11.9 billion euros.