Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
The Office and Shop Furniture Manufacturing industry is suffering from weak local demand and rising import competition. Industry profitability has been adversely affected by falls in domestic and export sales volumes, pressure on selling prices and rises in the price of metal and wood. The total UK market for office and shop furniture is expected to be worth £2.25 billion in 2011-12, of which an estimated £430.4 million, or 19.1%, will be satisfied by imports. The UK operations of firms in the industry are expected to generate revenue of £2.0 billion in 2011-12 (down 0.3% from 2010-11), including £1.82 billion from local sales and £180.7 million from export sales.
Industry revenue is expected to decrease by 6.1%.. purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Locations Chapter
Businesses in this industry tend to operate near major customer bases, key suppliers and transport infrastructure. Historical factors can also influence the location of an office and shop furniture manufacturing facility. For instance, local government may have awarded grants to help fund the set up of a factory or the founder may have placed the company in the region where they lived.
Enterprises are distributed across all regions of the United Kingdom. The major regions are East of England (accounting for an estimated 14% of all enterprises), South East (14%) and Yorkshire (11%). The East of England has large education and technology sectors, and accounts for 40% of the United Kingdom's container traffic... purchase to read more