European wood flooring consumption presents mixed picture in 2019
24 October 2019Wooden floor markets in France, Germany and Spain registered slight improvements during the first half of 2019, according to the European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP).
FEP represents members who produce either solid wood flooring or engineered wood flooring, where the latter’s product has a top solid wood wear layer greater than 2.5mm thickness.
FEP’s board of directors met on October 2 and reported that its provisional results point to diverging trends.
Germany (Europe’s biggest market for parquet), Austria, France, Poland and Spain all showed positive developments in parquet flooring during the first half of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.
However, flat or slightly declining consumption trends were observed in Italy, Switzerland and Benelux. Scandinavia is presenting a mixed picture.
Competition from luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) was cited as a factor in the declining markets of the Netherlands and Norway.
“The competition of LVT is well present throughout Europe,” said FEP.
FEP directors also highlighted the impacts of the so-called “trade war” between the US and China on the European market. These impacts have been recently reinforced by another round of tariffs increases.
