The Board of Directors of the European Federation of the Parquet Industry met on 20 October 2015 and discussed amongst others both the parquet situation and recent economic indicators on the European market.
Overall, parquet sales on the European market during the first 9 months of 2015 look more or less stable compared to the same period last year. More countries are getting out of the red zone. Positive news comes from Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Poland and, to a lesser extent, Denmark.
A brief per country recap is provided in the table below.
Market overview
| Austria
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The information provided to FEP points in the direction of a stable market compared to the same period of last year. |
| Baltic countries
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Indications collected from FEP Board members point towards negative sales figures in the first nine months of 2015. |
| Belgium
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Consumption and production are both reported to be stable.
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| Czech Republic
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The Czech parquet market seems to be performing a little better in the first 9 months of 2015 than during the same period in 2014. Growth is estimated to be in the order of 1 to 2%.
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| Denmark
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The market remains stable, and could even be slightly positive (± 1%) when compared to the first 9 months of 2014. |
| Finland
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Parquet sales are down by an estimated 5 to 8%. The perspectives for next year seem better, with new constructions expected to perform better, in a hesitant market. |
| France
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Business started out well this year, with sales improving by an estimated 3% during the first months of 2015. The second quarter was still good, before a weaker 3rd quarter. Overall, this translated into a pretty flat picture.
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| Germany
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Compiled data indicate that parquet sales in the first 9 months of the current year have remained comparable with the same period of the previous year. DIY markets tend to face more difficulties. LVT remains a strong competitor.
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| Hungary
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Parquet sales do not seem to improve in Hungary. FEP Board members expect the market is maintaining itself at a stable level compared to the same period last year. |
| Italy | Altogether, the consumption of parquet remains stable. Higher taxes weighing heavily on the housing market are reported to be a major problem as well as a harsh competition from China and Eastern Europe.
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