GERMANY – The German furniture industry is continuing to grow: the turnover of domestic companies rose by 3.1 percent to € 4.5 billion in the first quarter of the current year.

At the same time, domestic sales rose by 2.8 percent and foreign sales by 3.9 percent. The good labor market situation, the rising income of domestic consumers and the good foreign demand for furniture “Made in Germany” explain this growth.

Last year, German furniture manufacturers were able to increase their sales by 3.2 percent to the record value of just under € 18 billion. The Association of the German Furniture Industry expects that the previous year’s result will be exceeded in the current year as well. At the end of March, the German furniture industry employed 84,241 people in 496 companies.