Furniture

The furniture industry is composed of the furniture manufacturers (dining rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, outdoor creations, bathrooms, office furniture, …), seating (lounges, seats, chairs, ...) and mattresses and bed bases.

This product group includes the following groups:

  • Furniture and Chair,
  • Bedding,
  • Kitchens.
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Because furniture manufacturers know their customers through and through, they are very successful in their market segment.

Exports as a driving force

The coronavirus pandemic often limited customer contact to online conversations. International furniture fairs and commercial meetings were practically impossible. But in the course of 2022, the exhibition calendar was replenished and prospecting trips also resumed. As well they should, as around 60% of Belgian furniture production is sold abroad.

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BelgoFurn

BelgoFurn, Fedustria's export promotion division, facilitates the search for foreign customers for Belgian furniture companies and assists them in finding new markets. As part of this, numerous initiatives are developed every year, backed in part by Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) and the Walloon export service AWEX. On 25 November 2021, Fedustria, as a strategic partner, signed a new collaboration agreement with FIT for the period 2022-2026.

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Finger on the European pulse

EFIC, the European Furniture Industries Confederation, represents the interests of the furniture industry in Europe. As a founding member of this organisation, Fedustria is closely involved in all activities. Since 2020, many European furniture companies have faced shortages of raw materials, parts and semi-finished products, which – combined with expensive container and raw material prices – led to production disruptions and longer delivery times. Along with EFIC, Fedustria is calling upon the EU authorities for a coordinated approach and a level playing field. Moreover, the rising labour cost handicap relative to our neighbouring countries is looming large upon Belgium's competitive position in Europe.

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Uncertain times after several peak years

During the 2020-22 coronavirus years, people were often required to stay home. For many households, this was an unexpected 'opportunity' to renovate or beautify their homes. It has not hurt the Belgian interior design industry. Since travel was allowed again from summer 2022, consumers spent their money on that, as well as on the reopened hospitality industry, rather than buying furniture and decorative products for the home. Moreover, the uncertain geopolitical times and the energy crisis made consumers very reluctant to spend their budget on consumer durables, such as furniture.

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Belgian Design Showrooms and Belgian group stands

In 2020, the first Belgian Design Showroom opened in Toronto, the design capital of Canada. This is a unique collaboration between complementary Belgian companies at a joint showroom. As a result, they have a long-term presence in the Canadian market. More information: www.belgiandesignshowroom.com.

In the search for new export opportunities for 2023, the Middle East and the US came into focus. The ambition is to continue rolling out this successful formula there or elsewhere.

After a very successful group participation at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, a group pavilion was also set up in Stockholm in February 2023. The purchasing power of the Scandinavian market still offers numerous opportunities for our Belgian companies. Other interesting exhibitions are also being explored in order to further expand and differentiate our exports geographically.

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The Furniture Bible – 2023 Edition

A new edition of the Belgian Furniture Bible, the basic tool for the collective promotion of our furniture sector at home and abroad, was published in early 2023. The individual presentations of the extensive range of manufacturers and brands, supplemented by eye-catching images of products and realisations, provide domestic and foreign buyers with a superb overview of what our manufacturers have to offer in the domain of furniture. This Furniture and Design Bible is being physically distributed through the international trade press, through mailings and at several national and international trade exhibitions and events. Further investments in additional digital promotion are also being made year after year.

See www.belgofurn.com, also available for consultation at www.belgianfurniture.be and www.belgischmeubel.be. And follow @belgianfurniture on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook!

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Circular economy

Last spring, the European Commission launched a proposal for an Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation, or ESPR for short. With this proposal, Europe is aiming to ensure that goods placed on the EU market are produced in a more environmentally friendly way, and are signed up to a circular and energy-efficient process. Product-specific requirements will be introduced in the next phase for furniture and mattresses, among other things. Along with the European sectoral federation EFIC, Fedustria sees this initiative as an opportunity, but it must not become a rigid straitjacket. There must remain sufficient freedom for businesses to choose their own path towards the circular economy.

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E-business – Further development of the sectoral platform for digital data exchange between furniture manufacturers and retailers

Through the mixed working group Fedustria – Navem (the furniture trade), work on the implementation of e-business in the value chain continued apace in 2022. The aim is the further development of a single sectoral platform, along with a professional software partner, onto which furniture manufacturers and retailers can graft their existing software packages and exchange data in a secure way electronically (digital product catalogues, orders, order confirmations, and further down the line also dispatching advices, invoices, etc.). Test cases between Fedustria and Navem member companies should lead to the elimination of the last technical shortcomings of this digital platform.

Key figures
Number of companies 722
Number of employees 9.763
Turnover (in million EUR) 2.300
Exported quota 57 %
Turnover evolution in 2022 (in volume) -14 %
Share in the total turnover of the Belgian woodworking and furniture industry 33 %

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Kevin Snyders

Kevin Snyders

Product Manager Furniture and BelgoFurn
Filip De Jaeger

Filip De Jaeger

Wood-based panels, Wood import trade, Brushes and paintbrushes and Furniture
Katja De Vos

Katja De Vos

Bedding and furniture