'The Salone del Mobile is the New Year's Eve of our industry, kicking off the design year,' said Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo. 'The event is a special, unrepeatable, and unique moment that marks the beginning of the design year. In the halls of Rho Fiera, the best of Made in Italy proudly presents itself to the world with products designed and expertly crafted in our territory, with quality that finds its strength in material research, technology, and sustainability.'
'The Salone, as always, will also help companies identify new markets and new target audiences, starting from the younger generations who have imposed a change in perspective thanks to their purchasing criteria. Having an international fair like the Salone del Mobile.Milano represents a certainty and an invaluable asset for the entire industry, and it deserves credit for having been able to evolve while maintaining its roots over these 62 years.'
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He continued: 'The production industry is experiencing ongoing challenges. Inflation rates are still too high for companies and families, poses increasingly complicated challenges. The 2023 financial statements prepared by our Research Centre show a contraction in the industry of 7.8% compared to 2022, which did not surprise us, coming after two excellent years with performance beyond expectations. The Italian market (32.8 billion Euro) and exports (almost 20 billion Euro) nevertheless remain above pre-pandemic levels of 2019. Focusing on the furniture macro system (about 28 billion Euro), the sector retreats only by 3.8%, but still remains above pre-Covid levels. Exports, which account for 53% of the total, reach 15 billion Euro, while the Italian market at 13 billion Euro records a -3.7% due in large part to changes in building incentives. The trade surplus, nearing 10 billion Euro, is extremely positive, demonstrating that our Made in Italy is still attractive.'
He said that the Milan Fair was still the best way to strengthen and expand this relationship with international markets.
'We take pride in representing one of the strategic sectors for the national GDP: style, research, innovation, and 'industrial' craftsmanship allow us to be a sector whose furniture macro system is worth around 28 billion Euro and exports a remarkable 53% of its furniture products, 15 of which are destined beyond borders, with a trade surplus of 9.8 billion Euro,' he said.
'There are over 141 000 employees active in the furniture sector, working for just over 21 000 companies. These are significant numbers for a sector that has its strength in exports, as demonstrated by the influx of foreign buyers and industry professionals, who accounted for over 60% in 2023 and come to Milan every year to visit the Salone, the world's most important design fair.'
More information:
FederlegnoArredo
www.federlegnoarredo.it
