Turnover in the office furniture market in Western Europe will rise by 10.7% this year and thus continue the high-flying trend it started last year (2021: +13.2%). Besides inflation, turnover is driven by the growth of smart office solutions that support new work concepts, as a study by Interconnection Consulting shows.

Many producers were forced to increase their prices in 2021 or at the latest at the beginning of 2022, due to higher prices for raw materials and energy. “This year, we are also seeing a high increase in inflation, coupled with supply chain issues and limited access to raw materials and supplies. Therefore, we expect further price increases this year,” foresees Katarina Gajdova, the author of the study. This means that the office furniture market in Western Europe will also grow to a record level of 8.1 billion euros this year. The strongest growth in 2021 was recorded in the UK, Denmark and France, with increases of 26.5%, 18.3% and 16% respectively. Besides inflation, the strong increase in the previous year was driven by deferred projects during the Covid pandemic. While the industry’s revenue growth is impressive, sales in the regions studied are rising only moderately (2022: +3.8%).

Green Trend Despite Higher Costs

The home office is here to stay, the office furniture manufacturers surveyed in this study are also convinced of this. On the other hand, there is growth in smart office solutions, which should support the overall growth of the market. The redesign of office environments should also contribute to growth, as the study shows. This redesign of the office space should counteract the desire for home offices and thus also bring employees back to the office location. Positive developments are seen especially in the segments of sitting and standing desks of lounge sofas and collaborative work environments. The study also shows that consumers in Western Europe are less price-sensitive than other regions of the world. This leads to a greater focus on eco-friendly materials and sustainability in demand. Overall, swivel chairs are the largest product segment in the market with a 26% share. SMEs make up the largest customer segment with a share of 61%. The home office segment already has a share of about 10%. The public sector accounts for about 15%. The most important companies include: Ahrend, Assmann, Flokk, Haworth, Kinnarps, König & Neurath, Sedus, Senator International, Steelcase, Vitra,

The study examined the markets: Austria, Belgium & Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Link to the report

21/09/2022

Copyright: Interconnection, Publication free of charge for coverage regarding the study and InterConnection Consulting.