Retailers such as IKEA and Mobexpert have reopened their stores and manufacturers such as Taparo and Lemet are preparing to resume production gradually.
“Manufacturers were pessimistic at first but the sentiment has improved now. They are currently resuming production gradually, at lower capacity, especially with social distancing norms in place. Production volumes will be lower this year after two months of inactivity and manufacturers can’t return to full capacity immediately. Production also depends on what happens in export countries,” said Aurica Sereny, head of the Romanian association of furniture manufacturers.
In 2019, Romania exported EUR2.4 billion worth of furniture, up 4.3% on the year, according to association data. This year, however, the industry has been severely impacted by the temporary shutdown of stores such as IKEA and JYSK, major clients for Romanian manufacturers.
Over 90% of Romania’s local furniture production is exported. Romania;s main export markets are Germany, France, Italy, Slovakia and Czech Republic, the first three of which have been hard hit by the pandemic. The furniture manufacturers’ association estimated previously that the halt on local manufacturing would halve the industry’s exports for his year.
Romania’s furniture production has decreased over the past two years to to higher prices for raw materials. Employee numbers also dwindled as many workers left the country to work broad. Association data showed the furniture industry in Romania had approximately 56,200 employees in 2019, nearly 1,000 fewer than in 2018. Compared with 2016, employee numbers in the furniture manufacturing industry dropped by around 4,800.