| ¡¡ Laminate Flooring
According to trade association estimates, last year the world market for laminate flooring
was 363 mil. sq.m (2000: 351m) registering only moderate growth compared to 2000. With a
market of 200 mil. sq.m, the West European market, once again, proved the biggest single
market; though compared to 2000 it was stagnant for the first time. Eastern European
countries registered a minor increase in consumption to 35 mil. sq.m (32 m in 2000). In
non-European countries also, a consolidation of the markets for laminate flooring has
taken place.
In Asia, sales dropped to 18 mil. sq.m (23.7m, 2000). This downward trend resulted
primarily from the expansion of Asian production capacity by domestic producers as well as
by European companies. The expansion of capacities contributed to greater competition
especially noticeable in the Chinese market. Several European producers of laminate
flooring had to take a drop in sales or to reduce or even to discontinue their activities
on the Asian markets.
Parquet Flooring
EUWID is reporting that, according to the Federation of the European Parquet Industry
(FEP) in Brussels, 2001 demand in the Western European parquetry markets weakened for the
first time, In the past years parquetry consumption had risen steadily in W.Europe.
Last year, demand in Germany as well as in Finland weakened considerably. There was a
brighter picture in some countries in Northern and Southern Europe. For Great Britain,
Ireland, Spain, and Italy the European association is expecting to report market growth
rates in the range of 5 to 10%. Sales in France and in the Scandinavian countries are
about the same as one year ago, according to FEP.
The growth in market share of parquetry in the overall flooring market is favorable. In
view of the marked per capita growth in consumption over the past five years, the FEP is
anticipating that parquetry will secure additional market share compared to other types of
flooring, at least in Central European countries.
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