The Industry

Introduction

UK furniture, textile floorcoverings, bed and furnishings manufacturing and retailing is a substantial industry. According to 2022 Government statistics, its contribution to the UK economy in 2022 topped £40 billion, supporting over 290,000 jobs in over 28,500 companies. Furniture and beds manufacturing turnover was £11.35 billion emanating from 6880 companies employing over 91,000 people.

UK exports of furniture and furnishings in 2022 were £1.45 billion, with trade to the Republic of Ireland (£0.29bn), the USA (£0.25bn) and Germany (£0.14bn) the most popular destinations. On the other hand, imports totalled £8.5 billion 2022 – with China (£3.2bn), Italy (£0.75bn) and Poland (£0.74bn) topping the list.

Furniture, furnishings and beds encompass a diverse range of products and markets, traditionally segmented into 3 sub sectors based upon the purchaser’s characteristics:

• Domestic: serving the public, mainly through retail outlets and for household use.
• Contract: furniture for public areas such as hotels, schools, cruise liners, hospitals, restaurants, residential accommodation, stadia and airports.
• Office: desks, work stations, seating, tables, cabinets and other items for the office environment.

Companies often serve more than one market. In particular the distinctions between the office and contract sectors are blurred, and some manufacturers supply both domestic and contract end users. It is estimated that 30% of the UK’s furniture manufacturing turnover is attributable to the office and contract sub sectors.

Structure

The industry has a high proportion of micro and small to medium size businesses. Looking solely at furniture and bed manufacturing (i.e. excluding furnishings, retail, repair, design etc), only 305 companies (3.5%) report turnovers in excess of £5 million and 83% of companies turn over less than £1m per year with 58.2% turning over less than £250,000. This pattern is reflected in employment figures with 79.5% of companies employing less than 10 people, and only 30 companies (0.44%) employing more than 250.

Despite its contribution to the UK economy, furniture and bed manufacturing suffers from lack of recognition at a political level. The industry has no major regional hubs (apart from mattress manufacturing in West Yorkshire and some opholstery inthe East Midlands). Manufacturing is spread across the country. As a consequence, and with much industry support now targeted on a regional basis, it is considered that the industry does not secure the support and influence from government that is appropriate for its size and contribution to the economy.

1 Statistics taken from FIRA’s Statistics Digest 2023,  a compilation of published statistics and market information which has been sourced primarily from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), HM Customs and Revenue, The Bank of England and the Communities.