According to preliminary results, the furniture industry in Germany generated a turnover of approximately 16.3 billion euros in the year 2024, which is a 7.8 percent decrease from the previous year. In 2023, the industry had a nominal turnover of 17.7 billion euros, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Thursday. This marks the steepest decline in turnover compared to the previous year in the last ten years.
The decline in turnover was seen across all production areas, with the production of kitchen furniture experiencing a 6.5 percent decline, mattresses a 5.5 percent decline, office and retail furniture a 5.3 percent decline and other furniture a 10.9 percent decline.
The majority of the industry’s turnover comes from domestic sales, with around 10.9 billion euros in domestic turnover in 2024, making up two-thirds (66.8 percent) of the total turnover.
By the end of 2024, around 70,000 people were employed in the furniture industry, a 5.4 percent decrease from the end of 2023 and the lowest level in the past ten years. In comparison, at the end of 2014, there were still 83,500 people employed in the industry.
The decline in turnover was accompanied by a decrease in production. German furniture manufacturers produced furniture worth 13 billion euros in the first three quarters of 2024, a 7.1 percent decline from the same period in the previous year. In the first three quarters of 2023, furniture worth 13.9 billion euros was produced and in the entire year of 2023, the production of furniture worth 18.4 billion euros was recorded, a 3.5 percent decline from the previous year. In 2022, furniture worth 19.1 billion euros was produced in Germany.
The retail trade in furniture and home furnishings shows a noticeable reluctance to buy. Although the retail trade in furniture and home furnishings started the new year with a slight increase, the real turnover in January 2025, adjusted for calendar and seasonal factors, decreased by 0.8 percent compared to the previous month and by 0.6 percent compared to January 2024. In 2024, the real turnover in the retail trade in furniture and home furnishings had a significant decline of 5.5 percent compared to the previous year and in 2023, a decline of 10.8 percent had been recorded.
Consumers had to spend less on home furnishings in February 2025 than a year earlier, as prices for home furnishings decreased by 0.7 percent compared to February 2024. In particular, the prices for mattresses (-6.9 percent), living or dining room tables (-4.9 percent) and bathroom furniture (-3.5 percent) decreased, while prices for wardrobes (+1.1 percent) and kitchen lines or built-in kitchens (+0.8 percent) increased. In the same period, the overall consumer price index increased by 2.3 percent.