Furniture worth 1.4bn euros this year

Furniture production may rise by 5-6% this year, maintaining the growth pace registered last year. “The final data have not been centralised so far, but I estimate the furniture production has increased by 5-6% compared with 2005,” said Aurel Rizea, president of the Association of Romanian Furniture Producers (APMR). Under the circumstances, the furniture production is witnessing growth again, after registering its first decline in RON in 2005. Most of the manufacturers have been affected by the domestic currency’s appreciation against the main foreign currencies, the euro and the dollar, over the past couple of years. Thus they turned towards the domestic market, a trend that started in 2005. According to the preliminary data published by APMR, exports accounted for some 58% of the total furniture production in 2006, against the value of 75% posted in the previous years. “The exports have increased by some 5% in euros and by approximately 2% in RON over the first 11 months of last year,” stated Aurel Rizea. He added that exports would continue their downward trend in the long term. The losses incurred by the domestic manufacturers have been offset by their sales on the domestic market, according to APMR officials. However, even the rise in the sales of furniture on the domestic market was below expectations. The furniture market grew by some 5% last year, according to estimates made by the main players.