Summary

The global office furniture market, worth an estimated $71 billion in 2020, has been projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% to reach approximately $93.31 billion by 2026. This growth trajectory is largely fueled by the service economies taking shape in developing countries. However, the French market is contending with intense international competition, with foreign groups commanding a majority market share of 51%. With respect to product sales, seating, desks, tables, and storage are dominant, representing nearly 90% of billings in 2020.

Distribution within the market leans heavily towards direct sales by manufacturers and resellers, though online sales are set to expand. The industry has also pivoted towards value-added services, such as design consulting. Current trends emphasize workplace well-being and the growing demand for quality and sustainable office furniture, aligning with the move towards more flexible and comfortable work environments like co-working spaces. Despite ongoing import dominance with a 24.6% coverage rate in 2021, there is a growing consciousness about eco-friendly procedures and products, potentially steering the market towards a more customized and service-oriented future.

Progressive Dynamics of the French Office Furniture Market

The service sector within the office furniture market, which includes design advice and other value-added offerings, is witnessing the most considerable growth. The office furniture offerings align with modern office trends that prioritize comfort and well-being, steering demand towards high-quality products. This demand reshaping is partly due to the drifting away from traditional offices to more flexible work environments such as flex offices and co-working spaces. SMEs and medium-sized enterprises have emerged as significant patrons, accounting for 41% of the total market billings. The market also shows a blend of generalist and specialized groups, each segmenting the market with varied product offerings and revenue scales that stretch from tens to thousands of millions of euros.

The market maintains a healthy balance of import and export, with Europe serving as both a significant source of imports and a principal destination for exports for the French office furniture. The real estate sector's influence on the furniture market is undeniable. Despite a noted downturn due to COVID-19, with investments in corporate furniture dropping by approximately 8% in 2021, the overall market remains centered around Paris and particularly the La Défense district. Notwithstanding these challenges, the furniture market continues to evolve, with companies now more progressively looking for a dynamic balance between in-office presence and teleworking solutions, which influences the demand for office furniture.

Key Players Shaping the French Office Furniture Market

Landscape In the dynamic realm of the French office furniture sector, several players have established their presence with distinct positioning and offerings. These market participants range from generalist giants with expansive product ranges to specialized groups with niche focus, alongside thriving independents that cater to specific market needs. Here’s an overview of the influential companies that feature prominently within this industry.

Generalist Groups : 

  • Steelcase - A global entity renowned for its extensive portfolio of office furniture, providing innovative solutions for various workspace environments.

  • Ikea - The Swedish conglomerate is not just a household name for home furniture but extends its user-friendly and cost-efficient design philosophy to office furniture as well.

  • Conforama - A major player offering a variety of furniture, including a selection that meets the needs of business clients.

  • But - This French retailer has expanded its product line to cater to professional spaces, offering smart choices for organizations.

  • Nowy Styl Group - A company recognized for blending European craftsmanship with ergonomic designs, catering to both large-scale projects and individual customers.

  • Top Office - With a focus on providing affordable office supplies and furniture, Top Office is a go-to for many businesses looking to outfit their workspaces.

Specialty Groups:

  • Haworth - Specializes in creating adaptable workspace solutions that foster productivity and well-being, resonating with current workplace trends.

  • Sokoa/Eurosit - These brands are known for their ergonomic chairs that merge comfort with style, essential for today's health-conscious office environments.

Independents:

  • Clen - An independent entity that prides itself on its high-end, innovative office furniture that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing.

  • Buronomic - As an independent brand, Buronomic offers custom office furniture solutions that focus on user comfort and space optimization.

Together, these companies serve as the pillars of the French office furniture market, each contributing its unique strengths and products to meet the evolving demands of the sector. From large multinational chains to independent craftsmen, the diversity of these actors ensures a healthy competitive landscape that drives innovation and quality, while catering to a wide range of customer preferences.

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  • Number of pages : 30 pages
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  • Last update : 30/01/2023
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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Presentation

The office furniture market in France includes all the players involved in the design of workspaces, including manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Office furniture is designed specifically for use in commercial and corporate spaces, such as meeting rooms, individual workstations, cafeterias and lounges. It can be segmented by product type (seating, workstations, tables, storage units and accessories) or by material (wood, plastic, metal, fabric and leather).

The global office furniture market has been growing well in recent years, with some estimates putting the market's compound annual growth rate at 4.66% over the period 2020-2026.

In France, the market is in good health. It is still growing at a significant rate of +6% in 2021. But the market suffers from strong international competition: since 2018, foreign groups hold a major part of the market (51%).

The distribution players today share the market between resellers (41%), direct sales by manufacturers (33%), mass retail (21%) and online sales (5%).

The trend in the market is towards the sale of services, such as design advice. Thus, within the market itself, the sale of services is experiencing the most significant growth.

The return of the matter of well-being in the workplace is leading to a trend towards the reinvention of the workspace. In France, the traditional office is losing ground to flex offices and co-working spaces. In these new spaces, comfort is the key word. Thus, the demand is turning towards quality while maintaining its requirements in terms of optimization. 

1.2 A growing global market

According to Icrowdfr, the global office furniture market was estimated to be worth $** billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% to reach $**.** billion by ****. This growth is largely due to the emergence of the service economy in many developing countries.

Global Office Furniture Market World, ****-****, US$ ...

1.3 The French market is in good shape

According to a report published by Ameublement Français, a professional organization for furniture and space planning players of the market, the French office furniture market is in good shape and has been able to recover from its loss of turnover due to Covid-**.

The French office furniture market France, ****-****, ...

1.4 Foreign trade

France is largely an importer of office furniture: imports increased by **.**% in **** to *** million euros, but remained well above exports. Exports increased by **.**% compared to the previous year. In **** they represented ***.* million euros. To study the foreign trade figures we used the CPF code: **.** "Office and store furniture".

Foreign trade in ...

1.5 The impact of covid-19 on the office furniture market

The impact of covid-** on office furniture producers

Office and store furniture manufacturing turnover index France, ****-****, Base *** in **** Source: ****

NAF code: **.**Z "Manufacture of office and store furniture

The graph above highlights the sales indices over two different periods: the first one from February **** to February ****, a period that covers ...

2 Analysis of the demand

2.1 Construction of non-residential premises

Space started and built France, Aug. **** - Nov. ****, in thousands of square meters Source: ****

The construction of non-residential premises inherently fuels the office furniture market, as these will need to be furnished and fitted out. As a result, there will be slow and steady growth in the area of premises under ...

2.2 Older office real estate hits record highs

The demand for furniture also depends on the number of real estate transactions. Furniture is indeed a capital good with a much lower purchase frequency than other consumer goods, especially for professionals whose objective is to maximize the life of their furniture due to its cost. However, when a professional conducts ...

2.3 Demand trends

In general, demand for capital goods can be supported by new trends that reflect a search for well-being and comfort. The attention paid by companies to their furniture therefore has a positive effect on the furniture market by supporting the demand for renewal and thus contributes to sustaining national production. In ...

3 Market structure

3.1 Overview of the value chain

Source: ****

3.2 The manufacture of office furniture

change in the number of office and store furniture manufacturing companies France, ****-**** Source: ****

change in the number of employees of office and store furniture manufacturers France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The office furniture sector is in a phase of concentration: between **** and **** the number of companies working in this sector ...

3.3 Stores selling office furniture

Source: ****

In France, in ****, the number of office furniture wholesalers was estimated at *** (***). The Ile-de-France region had a preponderant place since, **,**% of the wholesale businesses of office furniture were present on the region in ****, and these companies employed *** people, that is to say **,**% of the total number of employees.

3.4 Distribution channels

Distribution of sales

Direct sales were the main distribution channel in ****. Indirect sales are not far behind and take the *nd place with **% of the market share according to French Furniture. Finally come sales via partners with *.*% of the market share.

Distribution of sales by distribution channel France, ****, % Source: ****

In addition, ...

4 Analysis of the offer

4.1 Top selling products

Office furniture sales are dominated by seating, desks and tables and storage, which accounted for almost **% of total billings in ****.

Breakdown of office furniture sales by product France, ****, % Source: ****

Between **** and ****, all growth rates for these categories are negative due to the Covid-** crisis: from -**.*% for display furniture to -**.*% ...

4.2 Price comparison

Classic products

The trend is to move upmarket. Producers insist on design, height-adjustable desks are progressing, as well as ergonomic and executive chairs. France has its elite producers with Caray, France Bureau and Silvera.

The distinction between high-end and low-end is particularly significant in terms of price, as shown in Table ...

5 Regulation

5.1 Regulatory framework

When selling new furniture, the labeling of a number of characteristics is mandatory:

The price and the enumeration of the items offered for that price, such as the delivery that would or would not be included, the main materials, the manufacturing process, the finish, etc. The overall dimensions, environmental contribution, Biocidal ...

5.2 NAF classification

The manufacture of home textiles is referenced by Insee under code **.**Z entitled "Manufacture of office and store furniture".

It groups together the following items:

the manufacture of seating for offices and shops, hotels, restaurants and public premises; manufacture of seats for theaters; manufacture of special furniture for stores: counters, display ...

List of charts

  • Global office furniture market
  • Breakdown of office furniture sales by customer type
  • The French office furniture market
  • Evolution de la taille du marché français de la fabrication de mobilier de bureau et de magasin
  • Evolution de la surface cumulée sur 12 mois des locaux non-résidentiels
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Latest news

Ikea builds two logistics centers in France - 29/05/2023
  • Construction of two logistics centers in Toulouse (opening in 2023) and Limay (opening in 2026)
  • Investment of 1.2 billion euros between 2023 and 2026
  • Ikea has 5 logistics centers and 36 stores in France
  • Ikea sales in France in 2022: 3.28 billion euros
But takes a 70% stake in decorating website Drawer - 06/04/2022
  • But takes a 70% stake in Drawer, an online sales site created by Valérie and Guillaume Spriet.
  • the site features 6,500 But product references.
  • The new entity will create a group with sales of 3.5 billion euros and 460 stores.
  • 4000 items of furniture and objects sourced from around the world.
Furniture set to post higher sales in 2021 - 15/03/2022
  • The furniture sector achieved sales of over 14 billion euros in 2021, up 14.3% on 2020 and 8.8% on 2019.
  • Furniture specialists saw their sales increase by 24.6% in one year, and mid-range furniture by 18.9%.
  • Mass-market furniture retailers (But, Conforama, Ikea...) had to make do with a meagre +8.6%.
  • But and Conforama are owned by Austrian distributor Mobilux

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Ikea France
Steelcase
Sokoa
Nowy Styl France (Group Nowy Styl)
Haworth France
Clen Solutions
Buronomic
BUT International
Conforama France
Adveo Top Office
Alternative
Flit Desk

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