The Board of Directors of the European Federation of the Parquet Industry met on 30 September 2014 and discussed amongst others both the parquet situation and recent economic indicators on the European market. A brief per country recap is provided in the table below.
Market overview
Austria : The market declined by an estimated 3% compared to the same period last year.
Belgium : The information provided to FEP points in the direction of a stable market compared to the same period of last year.
Denmark : The market remains stable when compared to the first 8 months of 2013.
Finland : Parquet sales are down by an estimated 5 to 7%. The activity on the market is rather low and greatly dependant on Russia. The economy follows a downward trend.
France : The market saw a decline of 10 to 12% in the first 9 months of 2014. The trend forecast is negative as well. The confidence at the end-consumers level is quite low and they have adopted a “wait and see” attitude.
Germany : The positive development of the first 4 to 5 months of 2014 has unfortunately not continued. June, July & August were predominantly regressing. Compiled data indicate that parquet sales in the first 8 months of the current year have declined by 1 to 2%.
Italy : Altogether, the consumption remains low. Parquet sales are down 20%, but ceramics are also losing an estimated 15%. Overall expectations are subdued.
Netherlands : The market is still characterised by an important overcapacity in production (facilities). The contraction of the past years did not affect the production capacity. Therefore, producers look for export possibilities. The parquet consumption continues to fall, but at a slower pace than expected. Despite the fact that the economy is recovering slowly, this development remains to be seen in the parquet sector.
Norway : The Norwegian parquet market showed no major changes compared to last year, the market is stable.
Spain : Generally speaking, the public attitude is one of waiting for the tax reforms. Unemployment remains a major problem. Nevertheless, the market seems stable, but at a low level.
Sweden : The Swedish market has grown by some 3%. House building is picking up, especially the construction of one family houses.
Switzerland : For the first time in 10 years, the market is flat. Both mosaic and 3-strip products are further declining. DIY chains now represent an estimated 10% of the total market. LVT is picking up.