Furniture production in the UK declined by 2.5% in April 2025 compared to March, despite being 0.8% higher than April last year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The overall value of furniture manufactured dropped sharply to £814.7m, down 10.6% month-on-month and 2.1% year-on-year.
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The domestic furniture manufacturing segment saw a similar monthly decline of 10.7%, totalling £769.4m, and a 2.6% fall against April 2024. Export values also fell 9.4% to £45.3m, though this remained 6.8% higher than the same month last year.
Total UK production output decreased by 0.6% in April, with manufacturing output down 0.9%. GDP contracted by 0.3% for the month, following modest growth of 0.2% in March.
ONS Director of Economic Statistics Liz McKeown noted that both the services and manufacturing sectors declined, with some economic activity having been pulled forward to earlier in the year. While construction and retail sectors saw gains, these were not enough to offset broader declines, particularly in legal services, real estate, and car manufacturing.
A record monthly drop in goods exports to the US also impacted overall trade, following the introduction of new tariffs.
Source: www.bigfurnituregroup.com