ECUADOR – According to the annual ranking of Ecuador’s Top 1000 Companies published by Ekos Magazine, sales of the companies of the wood-furniture segment that made the ranking fell 9% in 2016, reaching USD 322.3 million compared to USD 354 million 2015.

Of the companies in the segment that qualified to the 2016 Top 1000 only two, Botrosa – producer of plywood boards, and ATU – manufacturer of office furniture, managed to increase their sales.

The most affected in 201 6, which saw the biggest drops in sales, were the retailer Muebles el Bosque (-40.5%), followed by Empresas Durini (EDIMCA), a network of specialized stores for the construction, wood and furniture industry at (-16.1%) and Colineal furniture retailer and manufacturer (-6.3%).

In the sector’s ranking Novopan, the largest wood panel manufacturer in Ecuador, leads the wood and furniture segment with sales of USD 113.4 million (2015: USD 120.4 million). Although Novopan’s sales dropped 5.8% compared to 2015, the company’s profit contracted only 2.8% from the previous year.