Furniture market expected to decline again in 2025, despite a rebound at the end of the year

The furniture market in France recorded a third consecutive year of decline in 2025, still weighed down by the poor health of the real estate sector, a rebound at the end of the year nevertheless allowing us to approach 2026 with optimism despite "unfair" competition from Asian platforms.

Sales in the sector totaled 13,6 billion euros in 2025, down 1,8% year-on-year, according to data published Tuesday by the National Confederation of Household Equipment (Cnef), French Furniture and the Institute for Prospective and Furniture Studies (Ipea).

The total level of spending remains slightly higher than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, but the kitchen sector is the only one to have grown over the year.

Beneath this 2025 decline, however, lies some good news, as the second half of the year saw "five months of slight growth," these organizations noted in a press release.

"Certain preconditions for resumption appear to have been met," said Didier Baumgarten, president of the Cnef, during a press conference.

Sales had surged in 2021 following the end of lockdowns, and the sector's total figure had soared in 2022 due to price increases linked to inflation.

But now, "household purchasing power has stabilized," these organizations stated, adding that "after three years of decline, the real estate market is showing signs of recovery in 2025, mainly in the existing housing market."

The purchase of furniture remains largely linked to moving house.

Nevertheless, the sector deplores the "unfair practices" of foreign online sales platforms, "particularly Chinese ones, with Temu at the forefront," commented Cathy Dufour, operational director of the French Furniture Association, during the press conference.

"This is not the emergence of a new form of competition, but rather unfair and multifaceted practices," lamented Jean-Charles Vogley, Director General of the Cnef.

They denounce in particular non-compliant products and misleading descriptions, as well as a "significant loss of revenue for public finances through alleged fraud in eco-contributions and VAT, facilitated by a status of foreign third-party sellers".

"Faced with these abuses, manufacturers and distributors are calling for concrete and rapid actions to restore fairness to the market," they demand.

"To transform the first signs of stabilization into a sustainable recovery," companies' efforts to adapt to the market must be "accompanied by a fair application of market rules," argued Arnaud Visse, president of Ameublement français.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.