In the first half of 2024, Polish furniture sales, along with electronics and household appliances (AGE), experienced an 8.4% decline compared to the same period last year, according to the Central Statistical Office. This decrease occurred alongside a slight drop in average employment in the enterprise sector, which fell by 0.4%, totalling 6.4988 million, contrasting with a 0.7% increase the previous year.
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Employment in major sectors was generally lower than the previous year, with the most significant decline observed in the production of wood, cork, straw, and wicker products (down 6.4%). The furniture and electrical equipment sectors also saw employment declines of 4.5% each.
Consumer goods and services experienced a slower price increase, with a 2.7% rise compared to a 15.0% increase a year earlier. Industrial production prices fell by 6.1% year-on-year in June 2024, continuing a trend seen in most manufacturing sectors, except for water supply, sewage and waste management, and remediation, where prices rose by 2.5%.
Significant price drops were recorded in wood, cork, straw, and wicker products (down 11.1%), metal products (down 6.5%), non-metallic mineral products (down 6.1%), furniture (down 5.6%), and motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers (down 5.4%). However, there was a slight monthly increase in sold production prices across the industry by 0.1%, with manufacturing prices rising by 0.2%.
Despite these declines, the overall sold production of the industry was slightly higher than the previous year, particularly due to growth in the second quarter of 2024. There was a 0.1% annual increase in industrial production for the first half of the year, reversing a 2.1% decline from the prior year. Retail sales also saw a 4.9% increase compared to a 5.7% decrease the previous year, with significant growth noted in June 2024 (4.4% year-on-year).
Source: www.biznes.meble.pl
