The 20 percent duties on all European products announced on April 2 by U.S. President Donald Trump generate great uncertainty in all economic sectors in our country, including the furniture sector, for which the United States is the first non-European reference market that saw an improvement in 2024 (+1.5 percent) after the -10.6 percent in 2023. 

“They are a wrong measure that does not benefit anyone,” - commented the president of FederlegnoArredo, Claudio Feltrin on the occasion of the release of the Consuntivi data prepared by the FederlegnoArredo Study Center just before the opening of the Salone del Mobile.Milano.

Supply chain turnover at 51.7 billion

According to FederlegnoArredo's Consuntivi, the turnover of the wood-furniture supply chain closes 2024 at 51.7 billion euros, registering a -2.9 percent. The decline was most pronounced for the domestic market (-3.3 percent), which at €32.3 billion accounts for 62 percent of the total; exports declined less (-2.1 percent) to €19.4 billion, which accounts for 38 percent of the supply chain's turnover, and over 52 percent for the furniture macrosystem alone. 
With the reduction of tax incentives in Italy and the contraction of the main European reference markets, in 2024 continued that downsizing that had already begun in 2023 after a two-year period of growth. In fact, let us recall that most Italian exports are destined for the European Continent and in particular for the EU market (51 percent), which is worth almost 10 billion euros out of the total 19.4.

At the beginning of the year a comforting signal

A comforting signal for the sector seemed to come from the production data for January 2025, which would seem to record a positive trend in the first month of the year that could coincide with a positive sign for both exports and furniture production. This is an undoubtedly positive sign for the sector that, although relative to only one month, could bode well for 2025.
 

Opening up to new markets

Of course now, after Trump's announcement, every scenario could be turned upside down. Feltrin then said, "We are waiting to know in detail how the U.S. measure will be implemented and also to understand what countermeasures Europe intends to put in place: our hope is that the worst scenario will be avoided, that is, that of a muscle test, in which both economies would be the losers. But I want to try to glimpse something positive in such a complex situation. Europe has an opportunity to act as such, with compactness and determination, as also stressed by President Mattarella, in defense of the productive world."
Entrepreneurs in the furniture sector are ready, as always, to do their part. 

The Salone del Mobile.Milano kicking off on April 8 will also be even more strategic for probing and opening up to markets considered until now secondary, reaffirming the value of quality and innovation of Made in Italy design. “Flexibility and the quick changes of course that our small and medium-sized companies are used to will be the keys to dealing with such a complex situation”-Feltrin concluded.