European wood flooring purchases grew by 1.0 percent in 2017, the market’s third year in a row of growth, according to an estimate by the European Federation of the Parquet Industry.
The industry grew by 1.7 percent in 2016. The FEP said that the slight decrease in growth can be attributed to slight declines in wood flooring purchases in Germany, the biggest European market for wood flooring, as well as in Switzerland. The FEP said that all other countries saw wood flooring growth.
Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden experienced the highest growth rates, followed by the Czech Republic, Austria and France, according to FEP.
Producers noted difficulties in wood procurement, and the FEP board of directors emphasized tough competition from wood lookalikes as a challenge facing the market.
