Poland, an emerging market for local houseware products

MANILA, Philippines - Houseware exporters may consider increasing their shipments to Poland, an emerging market for housewares, to offset last year’s decline in purchases of top European importers.

Citing International Trade Centre-Trademap data, Benjamin Chiu, market analyst of iSEARCH Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. Cebu, identified other top EU houseware importers as Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Austria and Sweden.

These countries posted average import growths of only 7.1 percent to 5.8 percent for the period 2005 to 2009.   

Chiu said Poland, however, managed to trend at 10.5 percent growth in imports during the five-year period, which was exceptionally high compared to other EU importers.   

Poland has become a medium-sized importer of housewares, accounting for 3.4 percent of the total EU imports in 2009, he said.

He said top imports of Poland in 2009 consisted of artificial flowers, foliage and fruit; tableware, kitchenware and porcelain/china; basketwork, wickerwork and other articles made from plaiting materials; ceramic articles; statuettes and other ornamental ceramic articles; and plaits and similar products of plaiting material mats, matting and screens.

The Philippines only ranked 21st among the suppliers, exporting around $457,000 of houseware products to Poland last year, just about 0.6 percent and one percent of the latter’s total imports from China and Germany, respectively.

China and Germany were Poland’s leading suppliers last year.

But despite lower imports last year, Italy, Germany and UK were identified as the primary markets in the EU27 region for the gifts, toys and housewares (GTH) products.

Other countries like France, the Netherlands and Spain were also listed as the GTH sector’s secondary markets.