São Paulo – A survey conducted by the Institute of Industrial Studies and Marketing (IEMI, in the Portuguese acronym) indicates that the Brazilian furniture industry will ship 15.3 million items abroad, including pieces of furniture and mattresses, by the end of this year. If it proves true, exports will be down 15.4% this year from 2012, when 18.1 million units were shipped abroad. The figures were culled from the survey “Furniture and Mattress Indicators in Brazil” and also show that 3% of the industry’s output will be exported this year.<\/p>\n
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On the other hand, furniture and mattress imports should be up 6.5% in 2013 from 2013. The import volume should be 13.5 million items by the end of the year, as against 12.7 million in 2012. Last year, furniture imports were up by a similar rate, at 6.6%. Imports increased by an even higher rate in 2011: 35.2%, and in 2010 from 2009, at 116.9%. <\/p>\n
According to the IEMI, next year, wooden furniture exports are expected to see a slight increase, helping drive up national output. In 2013, the industry should make 480.9 million pieces of furniture and mattresses, up 4.4% from 2012, when output stood at 460.5 million units. The production value should be R$ 35.7 billion, according to the research institute, and revenues should be up 10%. <\/p>\n
According to the IEMI, the Brazilian government’s strategy of lowering the tax on industrialized goods for purchases of furniture and major appliances has succeeded in driving up purchases, but the withdrawal of the tax break and rising interest rates have detracted from the industry’s growth potential, said IEMI director Marcelo Prado in a press statement. In December, however, appliances sales should be 62% higher than the monthly average for this year, and this should help retailers flush out their inventories, enabling production to increase early next year.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n