Spring, sun, Easter weekend and holidays for some, the garden comes out of winter and the outdoor furniture with it, to the delight of professionals in the sector.
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The return of sunny days will delight those who are lucky enough to have a garden, a terrace, a balcony or an outdoor area, however modest it may be. And this space, when it can be arranged, is a plus. When you look closely at the figures from the IPEA, the Institute for Furniture Studies and Forecasts), you can clearly see that garden furniture has recovered from the crisis. The market for the layout of outdoor spaces grew by nearly 15% last year compared to 2020, +20% compared to 2019. It is a market that today exceeds 600 million euros.
Staying at home during the various confinements has prompted many households to renovate or improve the overall environment mixing work and private life, not to mention the number of moves that have increased. Improvement of the living environment with more complete fittings and in particular outdoor lounges and kitchens to make the garden or balconies an annex to the home. Needless to say that the return of the sun makes it possible to support this trend already inscribed in consumer habits.
Normally, higher demand leads to higher labels. This is not the case for the moment and certain distributors had anticipated the rise in the cost of raw materials well before the return of inflation and the war in Ukraine. Thierry Garnier, managing director of Kingfisher, the British group that owns the Castorama and Brico Dépôt brands in France, explains that he has integrated the inflation factor into his commercial strategy from 2020.
The biggest problem today is the shortage of wood internationally to make the furniture. This phenomenon, which is not new, is the factor which continues to create the strongest tensions.