The German furniture industry recorded total sales of €11.7 billion in the first nine months of 2025, a decline of 4.3 percent compared with the same period last year, according to official statistics. Domestic sales fell by 5.4 percent to €7.7 billion, while international sales dropped more moderately by 2 percent to just under €4 billion. In September alone, furniture manufacturers reported a slight increase of 0.4 percent, reaching €1.47 billion.
© Bialasiewicz | Dreamstime
Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the Associations of the German Furniture Industry (VDM/VHK), attributed the slowdown to ongoing consumer caution, high savings rates, and declining housing construction. He also highlighted international pressures: "US trade policies are curbing German furniture exports to the United States and, through diversion effects, increasing imports from China and Vietnam, putting additional pressure on prices."
Looking ahead, a quarter of surveyed furniture producers plan short-time work in the fourth quarter, down from 36 percent in Q3.
Segments within the industry showed differing trends. The German kitchen furniture sector saw a modest decline of 1.4 percent to €4.2 billion. Other furniture categories, including living, dining, and bedroom pieces, fell by 5.2 percent to around €3.5 billion. Upholstered furniture sales dropped 8.3 percent to €650 million, office and shop furniture declined 4.8 percent to just under €3 billion, and the mattress segment fell nearly 16 percent to €317 million.
The number of German furniture producers with 50 or more employees declined by 4 percent to 399, while total employment in the sector fell 4 percent to 68,581.
Kurth stressed the need for policy and market support: "Our industry urgently requires improved consumer sentiment, a revival of housing construction, and the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles." He also noted the pending EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), welcoming a recent compromise proposal by the German government but emphasising that agreement at the European level is still required. "The entire wood and furniture value chain urgently needs a further postponement for all market participants until the end of 2026 and meaningful simplifications."
More information:
Moebelindustrie
www.moebelindustrie.de
