GERMANY - After growth of 9.2% in April, exports of German furniture once again fell by 8% in May compared to the same month 2017.

According to the VDM, drops were recorded in all product groups. The biggest decline was in office furniture (-16.0%). However, exports of residential, dining and bedroom furniture (-15.0%), shop furniture (-14.7%), mattresses (-14.3%) and upholstered furniture (-11.2%) also posted double-digit declines.

The decline in exports of other furniture (-8.9%) and kitchen furniture (-7.0%) was in the high single-digit percentage range. To a comparatively small extent, exports of other seating furniture (-1.9%) decreased. Consolidated over the first five months, German furniture exports have increased slightly by 1.5%.

In May furniture imports also dropped by 8.6%, the second month in a row.

Imported upholstered furniture fell significantly (-14.3%), residential, dining and bedroom furniture (-13.9%), other furniture (-8.4%), kitchen furniture (-7.1%) and other seating furniture (-6.4%). Only imports of mattresses and office furniture increased by 5% and 2.3%, respectively. Cumulatively over the first five months, German furniture imports dropped marginally by 0.2%.