Strong domestic market sustains furniture sector

CEBU, Philippines- While the furniture industry still awaits the full recovery of the export market, the sector continues to breathe with the strong demand from the domestic market.

Furniture designer and exporter Kenneth Cobonpue said that the expanding middle-class and sophisticated market in the Philippines is helping the furniture industry sustain their operations amid the weak market interest especially from United States and Europe.

Cobonpue added that aside from the strong institutional market such as hotels, restaurants, resorts, malls, among other that are using Philippine-made export-quality furnishings, the residential market is also coming in very strong.

He said there is an increasing number of residential clients that are making personalized furniture or furnishing accents to exporters.

His company for instance is busy making custom-made furniture pieces for sophisticated residential clients specifically in Manila and in Cebu.

Cobonpue joins other furniture exporters who continue to insist for the industry's turnaround in the short term, banking specifically on the fast growing domestic market.

Aside from the encouraging interest from the domestic market for Filipino-made furniture, Cobonpue said the entire Asian market is also becoming a good source of recovery confidence, including other countries in South America and Middle East.

In 2014, the industry grew by five to six percent in the last three quarters.

In 2012, the country’s total furniture production reached US$538 million, of which total furniture export stood at US$137 million and local sales at US$399 million.

The United States remains the country’s top market for furniture exports, accounting for 62 percent. It is followed by Japan, United Kingdom, Italy and Australia. (FREEMAN)