Furniture market in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
One contributing factor to the decline in furniture purchases in Great Britain is, surprisingly, the poor weather Brits face on a seasonal, if not daily, basis. Combined with the fact that prices remain high, and cost of living pressures persist, it comes as no surprise that British shoppers would avoid unnecessary purchases of big-ticket items, such as furniture. The inflation of furniture, however, has begun its downturn and will hopefully continue throughout the year.
The fall of inflation, rise in living wages, and gradual affordability of big-ticket items in Great Britain could be telling signs that financial circumstances are improving for the average consumer. Against the backdrop of these dynamics, furniture continues to be an integral part of both the retail sector, as well as the everyday British household.
Furniture sales
Since the last couple of years, retail sales of furniture and lighting equipment has been fluctuating, reaching nearly 1.2 billion British pounds in April 2025. Along with that, consumer spending on furniture has started to decline since 2022, and reached 21.5 billion British pounds in 2024. Not surprisingly, the number of stores specialized for furniture, lighting, and household articles has also been declining, with more than a thousand stores closing since 2008.Where does furniture in the UK come from?
The United Kingdom is one of the leading importers of furniture on a global scale, bringing in over nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of furniture in 2023. Furniture imports in the UK are divided by their source of origin, either from countries part of the European Union, or outside of it. With the exception of 2023, furniture from regions outside the European Union have generally been of a higher value than those coming from within. By 2024, furniture imported from outside of the EU had a 574 million British pound advantage on EU imports. The opposite trend can be observed in the international trade of office furniture, where imports from European Union member states were worth around 136 million British pounds, as opposed to the 131 million from outside the EU.The fall of inflation, rise in living wages, and gradual affordability of big-ticket items in Great Britain could be telling signs that financial circumstances are improving for the average consumer. Against the backdrop of these dynamics, furniture continues to be an integral part of both the retail sector, as well as the everyday British household.
