According to a survey carried out by the association, parquet flooring sales in Germany grew by around 11% year on year, reaching a total volume of 2.7 million m². In terms of value, sales increased by 6% to around €94 million. Thus, the industry is continuing the upward trend that has been evident since the turn of the year.
“We are heading in the right direction. However, after the catastrophic slumps of recent years, we are still at a rather low level. The development of the construction industry will be a decisive factor,” vdp Chairman of the Board Michael Schmid explained. There are some positive signs: The number of building permits, especially for single-family homes, increased noticeably in the first half of this year.
The three-layer parquet segment stands out with a particularly good performance, with the cumulative sales volume increasing by 25% to 1.6 million m². Sales of wide-plank flooring were even stronger, rising by 30% to a volume of 1.25 million m². Meanwhile, two-layer parquet saw more restrained growth, posting a slight 1% increase and a volume 700,000 m². Sales of solid parquet grew by 8% to 150,000 m², while those of mosaic parquet decreased by 23% to 240,000 m².
A key factor in the upswing in the three-layer parquet segment is the sharp decrease in imports from China, which plummeted by 50% in the first half of this year. Schmid also attributes this to the anti-dumping duties that are currently in effect. At the same time, however, imports from other countries increased. “We need to continue monitoring developments in order to be able to assess the impact of the duties,” Schmid said.
