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Customers spend less money on furniture
The retention of purchase of many consumers is a problem for the furniture industry. Sales decreased for the second year in a row. This also affects the employees.
Many people in Germany save when buying furniture: the industry did significantly less business in 2024. The sales of the German furniture manufacturers sank nominal, i.e. not adjusted for price changes last year, by 7.4 percent to 16.4 billion euros. The prices for home furniture did not rose recently. In the case of furniture dealers, the minus was expected to be between six and eight percent. The industry associations VDM and BVDM announced this. The proceeds had dropped in the previous year.
Consumers would reduce their expenses and make large purchases in the back, said the head of the trade association furniture and kitchens, Jean Lucas Dürand. Many would have invested in the furnishings of their four walls during the pandemic. Now the money flows on vacation and travel.
The declining new housing is also a problem for companies. According to the Federal Statistical Office, only 215,900 apartments were approved in 2024. The number dropped by 17 percent compared to the previous year and the lowest level since 2010. The purchase of a new building leads to the purchase of furniture and kitchens through subsequent removal.
Survey: short -time work for 44 percent of the companies
With a view of the current year, the furniture industry is carefully optimistic. The managing director of the associations of the German furniture industry (VDM), Jan Kurth, “expects low sales growth in low single -digit percentage” for 2025.
Last year it was the manufacturers of living, dining and bedroom furniture that suffered particularly from the reluctance of consumers. The turnover was 11.2 percent lower than 2023. The losses in the area of kitchen furniture (-6.5), mattresses (-5) and office and shop furniture (-4) were slightly lower.
The situation has a noticeable effect on the employees. The number of employees in the furniture industry in Germany fell by 5.4 percent to 71,231. The number of companies with more than 50 employees decreased by 3.8 percent to 414. According to a association survey, 44 percent of companies applied for short -time work in the first quarter of 2025.
dpa
Source: Stern
