Imports push furniture market up to 283m euros

Furniture sales on the domestic market reached 283.561 million euros in the first six months of this year, 7.3% more against 2005, according to
data made available by the Association of Romanian Furniture Producers (APMR).
The growth was based, as last year, on imports, which grew by an average 24%, to 116 million euros. The first six months of the year also saw the first bankruptcies on the local furniture market: Exmob Oradea, Pancotanas Arad and Samobil Satu Mare. "If we consider the growth of these indicators in the last few years, the results seen in this period are unsatisfactory. In the 2000-2004 period, the average growth stood at some 20%," said Aurel Rizea, executive chairman of the APMR. Furniture output was worth 657.03 million euros in the first half of this year, a 5% increase. Exp orts followed the same upward trend, reaching 489.524 million euros, 7.9% more than in the same period of last year. Producers have lately turned to the local and eastern markets to offset the effects of the RON's appreciation against the main foreign currencies, the euro and the dollar.