The flooring market - Italy

1.1 Definition and presentation

A floor covering is a material intended to cover a floor. This study focuses on interior floor coverings.

The floor covering market therefore includes all activities related to the production, distribution, and installation of materials intended to cover a floor. It comprises four main product families. The materials used are as follows: textile coverings, parquet flooring, plastic coverings (PVC or linoleum), and tiles. There are other types of coverings, such as poured concrete or paint, but these currently represent a limited share of the market.

Thus, there are different types of players corresponding to different activities in the industry: floor covering manufacturers, distributors (do-it-yourself hypermarkets, dealers, specialty distributors, etc.) In addition, some operators are engaged in the business of laying floor coverings for residential and nonresidential buildings. However, most operators are engaged in different types of activities, for example, they are manufacturers, distributors, and installers.

The global market for floor coverings has been estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9 percent between 2020 and 2027. The major players in the market are Tarkett S.A., Mohawk Industries, Inc. Forbo Flooring, RAK Ceramics, Shaw Industries, Inc. and Interface.

The Italian floor covering market has grown slightly in recent years. The economic recovery of the construction industry in recent years has had a positive impact on the flooring sector, which has benefited from this dynamism.

However, this growth is explained by the dynamism of some segments at the expense of others. In fact, the shares of laminates and stone materials have declined in recent years. In contrast, the textile coatings segment is growing, while the ceramic segment remains stable, with a share of the total market of about 60 percent.

In addition, the market has experienced an improvement in quality and a concentration of players, which has put upward pressure on prices. In addition, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, demand in the market collapsed dramatically, but is expected to start growing again once the emergency is over.