Assessment of the competitiveness of the furniture industry – a lesson from the largest exporting EU countries

A study was carried out to determine the level of competitiveness of the furniture industry in selected EU countries, using result-oriented indicators. The analysis of international competitiveness covered individual product groups, which allowed investigation of the situation of not only the entire furniture industry, but also its particular branches. The research showed that Poland and Italy have achieved the highest comparative advantages in trade in furniture, and in the case of the Polish furniture industry, positive development trends were observed. Germany – the largest furniture exporter in the EU – demonstrated a much lower level of competitiveness, and the significant value of furniture industry products imported to that country results in a growing foreign trade deficit. Unfavourable values of the competitiveness indicators and generally negative tendencies during the analysed period were obtained for almost all of the distinguished groups of furniture in the case of the UK, which was a net importer in this area.