The garden furniture market - Italy

1.2 Steady growth for the global market

The global outdoor furniture market is estimated to be worth approximately **.* billion dollars for the year ****. Growth forecasts provided by Grand View Research give a compound annual growth rate of *% over the period ****-****. Furniture made of wood accounts for approximately two thirds of the total furniture stock. This is far more than materials such as metal (***).

Size of the Outdoor Furniture Market World, ****-*****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

These figures are more generally in line with the global furniture market, estimated at around $*** billion for the year ****, with a CAGR of *.*% over the period ****-****. Garden furniture thus represents around *.*% of the total furniture market.

1.3 The growing Italian market

There are no precise figures that delineate the true size of the garden furniture market in Italy. This is because garden furniture falls under the broader category of “outdoor furniture, decorations and gardening”, but also under that of furniture. The former market naturally includes garden furniture but also any element which 'improves the liveability and decor of an external space'. In the past this was mostly limited to furniture, but with increased purchasing power, living standards and a desire for exteriors that go beyond practical functionality and include a certain aesthetic appeal other elements make up this category. These include:

Stone or brick structures such as fixed barbecue grills, ponds, pools Decorative structures such as fountains, statues, follies, plant and flower pots, and stone/tile-work Functional structures such as lampposts, stone paths, gazebos, bridges and sinks House-like structures such as canopies, tool sheds and dog houses Gardening tools and supplies Furniture and umbrellas

Source: ****

Despite the lack of a real figure for the size of the garden furniture market the size of this market can be estimate in two ways.

First, the above-mentioned market of “outdoor furniture, decorations and gardening” was worth * billion euros in ****. According to different estimates, the garden ...

1.4 Imports & exports

Garden furniture is a sub-category of outdoor furniture, which in turn is a sub-category of furniture in general. Furniture manufacturers don't usually specialise in terms of outdoor or indoor furniture but rather types of furniture (***). Since this is the case it is difficult to identify the precise trade flows in and out of Italy for garden furniture. Having identified the size of this market above, a clearer picture comes to mind when dealing with the furniture market as a whole.

In the United Nations Comtrade databse, which tracks import and export flows of goods and services all over the world, the code ** corresponds to 'furniture, including bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings, lamps, lighting fittings and the like'. This allows us to identify Italy is one of the biggest manufacturers and exporters of furniture in the world, in fact the fourth biggest, only behind China, Germany and Poland. In ****, Italy exported ** billion dollars' worth of furniture.

Biggest furniture exporters World, ****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

Italy is also a net exporter of furniture, exporting between * and * times as much furniture (***).

  Imports, exports and coverage rate of furniture Italy, ****-****, in billions of dollars and % Source: UN Comtrade   Of ...

1.5 The impact of COVID-19

**** was the year that marked a shift in the garden furniture market. Previously considered end-of-spring and summer-time accessories, in **** garden furniture became a year-round hot topic. For people with gardens, terraces, balconies and external spaces, the months of confinement truly blurred the lines between indoor and outdoor. The need to have some fresh air, quiet and space resulted in a new appreciation for these areas.

With increasing time spent in these areas during the months of confinement, an increasing amount of people sought to furnish them in ways that would be functional but also visually appealing. There are no exact figures for this increase, but some experts in the field and business owners estimate the growth to have been around one fifth higher than in ****. The different lifestyle routines, and expectation of spending more time in these spaces further bolstered this market throughout the year. 

To further support this trend is the increasing number of architects and designers being asked for quotations for how to hybridise indoor and outdoor spaces, exploit more outdoor space in terms of volume and functionality, and decoration.

The ability to have easily assemblable furniture that was ordered online and delivered to people's doorsteps were two aspects ...

2.1 Italians and their gardens

Italians are a home-owning population, in fact **% of them own at least one residential property. Outdoor living spaces are quite common in Italy, even in cities. In fact, **% of households have either a garden, a terrace or a balcony. This phenomenon is distributed quite equally geographically speaking, Piedmont has the highest prevalence of outdoor residential spaces (***).

Residences with outdoor living spaces, by region Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

 When looking at the breakdown more specifically, it can be observed that around three quarters of Italians have balconies, a little less than half have a terrace, around **% have a garden, and just over a quarter have a vegetable garden. This demonstrates a strong overlap between these categories.

Share of individuals having outdoor residential spaces, by type of space Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

When examining Italian's attitude and opinion towards garden/home care, further insights can be drawn on their propensity to buying and using garden furniture. 

Attitudes towards home and garden care Italy, ****, in % Source: Growth From Knowledge  All of these activities could have potential effects on the garden furniture market. In fact, someone who 'cares that his or her home reflect who they are' might be open to spending money to make their ...

2.2 Italians and their furniture

Italians seem to be a population that appreciates furniture. In fact, when looking at both continental and national figures this observation holds true.

When comparing household consumption on furniture and home furnishings with other countries in Europe, Italy ranks second only behind Germany. Italian households spend more on furniture than countries with larger populations, with higher purchasing power such as France and the UK.

Household consumption expenditure on furniture, home furnishings, carpets and other floor coverings Europe, ****, in billions of euros Source: ****

When taking a look more locally, consumption on furniture grows each year in Italy. In **** the consumption on furniture by Italian households grew by *.*% from ****. This compares to a -*.*% decrease in consumption of Toys and -*.*% on textiles.

  Percentage change in consumption value of non-food consumer goods in Italy ****, by category Italy, ****, in % Source: Osservatorio   A more 'anecdotal' view also confirms this picture. Salone del Mobile (***) is Italian. Figures show that attendance has been increasing, reaching an all-time high in ****.

  Attendance at Salone del Mobile di Milano Italy, ****-****, in number of people Source: ****

2.3 Best sellers

In Italy **% of sales of garden furniture revolved around * types of furniture: tables, chairs and benches. Since these often come in already made sets and are bought in this way rather than individually, a further breakdown would be speculative at best. The remaining sales are partitioned between couches (***).

Sales of outdoor furniture by typology Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

Garden furniture is generally made up of one of three materials: wood, plastic or metal. The main material is then complemented by others for either practical or decorative purposes (***):

Aesthetic appeal (***), and matching with surroundings or house interiors Resistance to natural elements (***)

Source: ****

2.4 Latest trends in demand

The new trends in demand are quite varied and sometimes unrelated, however, manufacturers have been able to keep up with what consumers seem to want most.

Outdoor homing

Outdoor spaces have become a very important part of the modern household. Families often gather outside (***), but also hosting friends over and parties. In fact, the garden has been called the 'new resort': people lie down relax and tan, read a book or spend afternoons grilling on the barbecue. The desire to make the garden a more adapted but comfortable living space is one of the leading trends for outdoor furniture. This increases the demand in articles like umbrellas, low table and sofa sets to make an outdoor lounge. 

Light and functional

Furniture made out of technical materials that are resistant to climatic variations (***) or folded for storage are appreciated.

Colour and positivity

Light shades of gray and blue are quite popular, particularly when matching them with wood. Lately however, lively colours such as red and purple have been cherished during summer months. The combination of green and blue turquoise is in vogue in coastal areas.

Retro and vintage

Following the precedent set by fashion, furniture styles coming from previous eras are extremely ...

3.1 Overview of the market's value chain

The garden furniture sector follows a distribution chain pattern which is specific to the furniture market, where second-hand goods have an important place.

The recycling of garden furniture is made easier by private sales platforms such as Seconda Mano or Mercatino Usato. Sales on social media marketplaces, in particular Facebook, are facilitating this type of transaction. Retail giants such as IKEA and Leroy Merlin have also started to accept old, used and second-hand furniture.

3.2 Intense competition

The sale of furniture is subject to intense competition between supermarkets, specialised businesses and stores, online sales and general furniture retailers. There are certain companies with a specific area of expertise (***) and furniture manufacturing giants which produce all kinds of articles as well as huge retail and DIY stores like IKEA and Bricofer which sell furniture and plenty of other products.

Furniture manufacturers

This category of actors includes giants such as Ikea and Iris, or the Italian companies Poltronesofà, Natuzzi, and Chateau d'Ax. These are the big furniture companies in Italy, which sell all if not most types of furniture (***).

Leading furniture manufacturers by revenue Italy, ****, in billions of euros Source: ****

Outdoor furniture specialists

This category of players includes companies such as Nardi, Paola Lenti and EMU, the three leading outdoor furniture manufacturing companies in Italy. Nardi is the biggest.  All of them have a fairly well-stocked garden furniture department, including umbrellas, garden tables, armchairs, outdoor sofas, chairs. These companies generally focus on medium to high-end products.

Leading outdoor furniture manufacturers by revenue Italy, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

DIY Store

DIY stores also usually have a garden furniture department. This range of players includes the Leroy Merlin, Castorama and ...

3.3 Distribution and e-commerce

In Italy, non-specialised (***) stores such as Bricofer, Bricocenter and supermarkets make up **% of distribution channels for garden furniture. Furniture manufacturing chains and companies in fact represent **% of distribution channels for these types of goods. A relatively new phenomenon, the garden centre, which specialises in selling tools and materials for gardening and planting but also sells outdoor furniture distributes around *% of all garden furniture. Individual independent stores play a primary role in the sales of garden furniture, accounting for a little over a third of all sales. This is an exception, in other European countries with similar demographics and level of development these type of shops are responsible for over half of garden furniture sales. Finally, e-commerce accounts for *% of sales of garden furniture. Considering that this type of purchase was quite uncommon a decade ago, this distribution channel has grown rapidly and is expected continue into the future.

Distribution channels for garden furniture Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

When speaking more specifically about e-commerce. From ****-**** the number of sales doubled. There is a high concentration of this channel however, with the top ** online sellers making up **% of online sales.

The whole chain of logistics, from raw materials to manufacturing, to shipment, to ...

4.1 Typology of the offer

The products of garden furniture are above all intended to create moments of relaxation or conviviality between friends. The range of products has developed over time, and today includes a wide variety of products, which are divided into four main categories.

Garden furniture

This category includes "typical" outdoor furniture, but also that which can be found indoors, albeit with suitable materials. Thus, in this category we find outdoor tables and chairs, usually made of metal, wood or plastic. There are also outdoor sofas and armchairs increasingly common in gardens to create an "outdoor living room". Finally, deck-chairs and sun loungers are the classic garden seating for relaxation. These are usually made of wood or plastic.

Constructions

This division includes all the installations that are useful to protect from the vagaries of the weather. Garden constructions include in particular pergolas and kiosks. These can be hung with metal or wooden masts, allowing a large sail to be hoisted to protect from the sun.

Garden accessories

Garden accessories are numerous, including, among others hammocks, umbrellas, barbecues, pillows for outdoor armchairs and sofas as well as on the floor, but also earthenware pots and sails that can be displayed on kiosks and pergolas.\ ...

4.2 Different types of manufacturers

In **** in Italy there were more than **.*** firms that manufactured furniture. A large majority of these, *.*** were either individual entrepreneurs, self-employed or freelance manufacturers. 

Number of furniture manufacturing firms Italy, ****-****, in number of firms Source: ****

'Other forms' includes cooperative societies, social cooperative societies, other partnerships and legal forms. There are very few outdoor furniture specialists and many companies that manufacture garden furniture also manufacture other kinds of furniture. Due to this overlap it is hard to determine exactly how many companies are exclusive garden furniture manufacturers.

In **** almost *.*** people were employed by companies that manufactured office and home furniture, this naturally includes garden furniture.

    Number of employees and evolution, in office and home manufacturing companies Italy, ****-****, in number of employees and % Source: Competitive Data     As can be seen from the graph above, the number of employees in firms that manufacture home or office furniture was a little above *.*** in **** and has been steadily increasing, with the biggest jump occurring from **** to ****.

4.3 Location and profile of manufacturers

A study conducted by Homi Outdoor Home & Dehors has given partial insights regarding manufacturers in Italy that also produce outdoor furniture. The regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Campania, Tuscany and Sicily all have over *.*** furniture manufacturing firms, a large minority of the total. 

In terms of cities Naples has the most, counting over *** firms, followed by Rome and Milan, with *** each, and Padua and Turin with almost *** each.

Women are one third of entrepreneurs in this market, while young entrepreneurs, under ** year olds, are *% of business owners.

    Breakdown of furniture manufacturing business owner, by profile Italy, ****, in % Source: Homi Outdoor Home & Dehors   

5.1 General regulations

There are various bodies responsible for developing draft standards:

CEN (***) in Europe ISO (***) worldwide

 CEN and ISO are responsible for the development of European and global standards in line with market needs, but there is a standardisation body for each country.

Worldwide, ISO has already developed nearly ** *** International Standards and continues to publish just over a thousand new standards every year.

Each standard is dedicated to a specific attribute of your furniture such as its shock resistance or stability, which generates a very large succession of different standards. Here is a non-exhaustive list to see more clearly.

The ISO **** standard focuses on the resistance of surfaces to cold liquids, wet and dry heat, and impact. The ISO **** and ISO **** standards determine the strength, durability and stability of storage units. The ISO **** standard determines the stability of a table, as does the ISO **** standard for chairs of all types and stools. ISO **** determines the strength and durability of chairs and stools. The ISO **** standard determines safety requirements for fixed and folding beds for children. The ISO **** and ISO ***** standards address the safety requirements for bunk beds and folding beds. The ISO **** standard evaluates the ease of lighting of upholstered furniture (***) such ...

5.2 National, regional and municipal regulations

In Italy there are regulations for furniture that apply at a national level. In the case of urban planning in particular, which is covers outdoor/garden furniture, regions and municipalities often act on their own discretion.

At the national level there are numerous laws, normatives and decrees dealing with issues such as environmental cleanliness of furniture and fire hazards. Below is a non-exhaustive list:

D.P.R. **/**/**** n°*** regulations updating directive **/***/CEE relating to furniture materials D.M. n° *** del **.**.**** and n° *** of **.**.**** s.m. e i. classification of flammable furniture materials or other materials that could provoke fires Law n°***/**** regulations updating article ** section ** of **.**.** regarding outdoor installations

Regional and municipal normatives vary. Below are a few examples of certain regulations regarding furniture from Tuscany:

UNI EN ***- B**/**** refers to the solidity of colours of cloth furniture coverings (***) UNI *****-*/**** refers to the resistance of tables and table-like structures UNI ****/****+A*/**** refers to the flammability of stuffed furniture UNI ****/**** refers to the maximum capacity (***) of outdoor storage furniture

In municipalities and communes, the Autorità Paesaggistica (***) can implement normatives at their discretion. For example, within the commune of Viddalba in the province of Sassari, outdoor fountains, metal benches and window ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Poltronesofà
• IKEA Italia
• Iris Mobili (Mondo Convenienza)
• Tecnomat
• Nardi
• Bricofer
• Natuzzi