European Furniture Market Update - September 2026

Furnilytics Market Briefs provide a monthly overview of the European furniture market, combining the latest furniture retail, furniture manufacturing and online demand indicators into a single market update. Based on data from Eurostat, national statistical offices and continuously updated Furnilytics datasets, each edition reviews harmonized 3-month year-on-year developments across Europe and selected international markets. The briefs help manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and investors monitor furniture market trends, demand conditions, production activity and overall market momentum.

Executive summary

The latest indicators point to a modest improvement in European furniture market conditions through June 2026. Retail demand strengthened slightly, with turnover up 1.2% year-on-year, while the decline in manufacturing output eased to 2.2%. Furniture-related web searches remained clearly above last year’s level, increasing by 7.6%, and continue to signal relatively resilient consumer interest.

The overall picture remains mixed. Demand indicators are holding up better than production, and conditions differ considerably between countries. Italy continues to show comparatively strong retail momentum, while manufacturing has improved in Germany but weakened further in Poland. Taken together, the latest data suggest that the market is moving gradually toward stabilisation, although the recovery remains uneven across countries and segments.

Retail

Retail demand remains mixed across the European furniture market. The European retail indicator increased by +1.2% on a three-month year-on-year basis, strengthening slightly compared with the previous update and continuing to point to gradual stabilisation in demand.

Among the major furniture markets, Germany and France continue to lag behind. Germany recorded a decline of -4.4% over the latest three-month period, while France improved to -2.3%. In contrast, Italy strengthened further, with retail turnover growth accelerating to +3.0%. The United States also moved closer to stabilisation, with the decline easing to -1.2%.

The broader European picture remains more positive than the performance of the largest markets alone would suggest. Several Northern, Central and Southeastern European markets continue to record positive growth, providing support to the overall European indicator despite persistent weakness in Germany and parts of Western Europe.

Overall, the latest retail data suggest that the European furniture market is gradually improving, but the recovery remains uneven. Stronger momentum in Italy and a number of smaller markets is increasingly offsetting weakness elsewhere, while Germany remains the main area of concern.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing conditions remain more challenging than retail demand, although the latest data show some improvement in parts of the market. European furniture production declined by 2.2% on a three-month year-on-year basis, a smaller contraction than in the previous update, but output remains below last year’s level.

Among Europe’s largest furniture-producing countries, Italy and Poland continue to record relatively weak conditions, with production down 4.8% and 5.6%, respectively. Germany improved substantially, with the decline narrowing to 2.0%, suggesting that the recent deterioration has eased. Lithuania remains the strongest performer among the highlighted markets, with production up 5.9%.

The broader European picture remains highly uneven. Positive momentum in parts of Northern and Eastern Europe contrasts with continued weakness across several large manufacturing markets. This divergence indicates that the recovery is still fragmented rather than broad-based.

Overall, the latest production indicators point to a gradual improvement at European level, but the manufacturing environment remains fragile. Germany’s stronger reading is encouraging, while continued weakness in Poland and Italy shows that a sustained sector-wide recovery has yet to take hold.