CIFF Shanghai has gained insight into the evolving dynamics of the European furniture market. The Italian furniture industry experienced a decline in export scale during the first quarter, while simultaneously seeing a significant surge in furniture imports from China, placing the industry in a complex external environment.

Italy’s wood and furniture industry saw overall exports decrease by 5.2% year-on-year in the first quarter. Industry representatives identified U.S. tariff policies and Middle East geopolitical conflicts as the two core factors dragging down export performance.

Related statistics are based on official data from the country's national statistics bureau. March exports continued the sluggish trend, with the impact from the U.S. market being particularly pronounced. Affected by additional tariffs on related products, Italian furniture exports to the U.S. fell by 15.4% year-on-year in the first quarter.

The United States was originally the third-largest export market for Italian furniture. The top two markets, France and Germany, also saw concurrent declines in export value, dropping by 3.4% and 6.9% respectively year-on-year.

Trade conditions in the Middle East market are equally concerning. This region was previously a key potential market that Italian furniture enterprises had strategically targeted. Geopolitical conflicts have directly caused local consumption to contract, with many large-scale engineering projects forced to halt.

In the first quarter, Italian furniture exports to OPEC member countries plummeted by 23.4% year-on-year. Exports to the UAE crashed by 78.4%, while exports to Saudi Arabia declined by 57.3%. By April, the regional market showed slight recovery, but the overall trade environment remains fragile.

In the first three months of 2026, Italy’s total wood and furniture industry chain export value reached 4.4 billion euros. The furniture category with the highest export share saw a decline of 7.5%, and the industry’s overall industrial output value subsequently fell by 3.5% year-on-year.

Among Italy's major export markets, only Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands achieved modest growth. Most other regions saw order contraction. Industry insiders candidly stated that developing entirely new overseas markets involves high costs and long cycles, while multiple traditionally cultivated markets are now mired in development difficulties.

The European domestic market accounts for over half of Italy’s total furniture exports. Although showing weak momentum, it remains relatively stable. However, competitive pressure from imported products continues to intensify.

Chinese furniture products are continuously upgrading in quality while maintaining price advantages over European domestic products. In April, Italy’s furniture imports from China surged by 19.6% year-on-year.

The overall import value in the first quarter of this year fell by 6.6% year-on-year, but this represents only a short-term decline relative to the exceptionally high base from the same period last year. The continuous flow of Chinese furniture into Europe has become a long-term stable trend.

Before the pandemic, China was an important export destination for Italian furniture. Now the market roles of both sides have shifted, with Chinese products becoming strong competitors. The local industry believes there are imbalances in the current competitive environment.

The local furniture industry association has submitted related appeals to the EU, calling for the establishment of fair and unified competition standards, strengthened compliance testing for imported goods, and requiring overseas enterprises to equally comply with EU production regulations, without proposing the addition of new tariff barriers.

Source: ilsole24ore