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Executive Summary

Table of Contents

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Although hard hit by the recession at the start of the 1990s, the office furniture industry has achieved impressive revenue growth since 1995, and was estimated to be worth £793m at manufacturers' selling prices (msp) in 1998. Nonetheless, for a variety of reasons, the recovery in the market has been slower than in other sectors of the economy, and trading conditions for most participants remain difficult. The availability of second-hand furniture continues to depress prices, while customers have become more cost-conscious and demanding in their purchase requirements.
The market for office furniture can be divided into four broad categories: desks and tables, seating, storage and miscellaneous. Desks and tables constitute the largest sector, accounting for 40.4 percent of the market in 1998 in value terms. Of the remaining sectors, seating accounts for 27.7 percent, storage 17.7 percent, and the miscellaneous sector 14.2 percent. Since 1995, the value share of seating and miscellaneous sectors has grown, while the performance of the storage sector has been affected by the rise of electronic storage media.
Advanced technology is one of the principal factors currently affecting the demand for office furniture. In particular, such furniture now has to accommodate desktop personal computers (PCs), as well as cabling for PCs and peripheral equipment such as faxes, printers and telephones. The widespread use of PCs has also significantly increased the demand for adjustable seating, which is now legally required for visual display unit (VDU) operators.
In addition to the market for conventional office furniture, the past few years have seen a consistent increase in demand for furniture for the small office/home office (SoHo) sector. This growth has been driven by two factors. Firstly, those same technological changes that have affected traditional office furniture design have also made it unnecessary for many people to work from a centralised business location. Secondly, the wave of corporate restructuring which has taken place since the early 1990s, has led to many individuals starting their own small businesses.
The outlook for the UK office furniture industry is currently uncertain. The widely expected economic slowdown will inevitably dampen demand, and this will be compounded by the greater adoption of more furniture-efficient practices such as `hot-desking'. Future successful companies will tend to be those which adapt their designs to meet customer demands for more flexible furniture.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

INTRODUCTION

MARKET SECTORS

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: Expenditure on Office Equipment by Value at Current Prices ( percent), 1994-1998

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

MARKET SECTOR

EXPORTS AND IMPORTS

Table 2: Apparent UK Market for Office Furniture (£m at msp), 1995-1998

Table 3: Apparent UK Market for Office Furniture by Sector (£m at msp and percent), 1995-1998

Table 4: The UK Market for Desks and Tables (£m at msp and percent), 1995-1998

Table 5: The UK Market for Office Seating (£m at msp and percent), 1995-1998

Table 6: The UK Market for Office Storage Furniture (£m at msp and percent), 1995-1998

Table 7: The UK Market for Miscellaneous Office Furniture (£m at msp and percent), 1995-1998

Table 8: Exports and Imports of Office Furniture (£m and percent), 1996-1998

Table 9: Destination of UK Exports of Wooden Office Furniture (£m), 1996-1998

Table 10: Sources of UK Imports of Wooden Office Furniture (£m), 1996-1998

Table 11: Destination of UK Exports of Metal Office Furniture (£m), 1996-1998

Table 12: Sources of UK Imports of Metal Office Furniture (£m), 1996-1998

Table 13: Destination of UK Exports of Swivel Seating (£m), 1996-1998

Table 14: Source of UK Imports of Swivel Seating (£m), 1996-1998

Table 15: Destination of UK Exports of Metal Storage (£m), 1996-1998

Table 16: Sources of UK Imports of Metal Storage (£m), 1996-1998

Industry Background

RECENT HISTORY

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

DISTRIBUTION

EMPLOYMENT

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

TRADE EXHIBITIONS

Table 17: Size Analysis of Manufacturers of Office and Shop Furniture by Turnover, 1996-1998

Table 18: Size Analysis of Manufacturers of Office and Shop Furniture by Turnover ( percent), 1996-1998

Table 19: Estimated Employment in Office Furniture Manufacture (number of employees), 1994-1998

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS

IMPORTERS

MAIL ORDER AND DISCOUNTERS

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 20: Major Office Furniture Companies by Turnover and Market Share (£m and percent), 1997/1998

Table 21: Black Arrow Group PLC - Financial Summary (£m), 1997 and 1998

Table 22: Bisley Office Equipment Ltd - Financial Summary (£m), 1996 and 1997

Table 23: Bullough PLC - Financial Summary (£m), 1996 and 1997

Table 24: Calderburn PLC - Financial Summary (£m), 1996 and 1997

Table 25: Matthews Office Furniture PLC - Financial Summary (£m), 1997 and 1998

Table 26: Herman Miller Ltd - Financial Summary (£m), 1996 and 1997

Table 27: President Office Furniture Ltd - Financial Summary (£m), 1997 and 1998

Table 28: Samas Roneo Ltd - Financial Summary (£m), 1997 and 1998

Table 29: Senator International Ltd - Financial Summary (£m), 1996 and 1997

Table 30: Steelcase Strafor PLC - Financial Summary (£m), 1996 and 1997

Table 31: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Office Furniture (£000), Year Ending June 1997 and 1998

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Buying Behaviour

MARKET STRUCTURE

TYPES OF CUSTOMERS

CUSTOMER PENETRATION BY REGION

Table 32: Geographical Location of Installation of Office Furniture in the UK ( percent), 1997

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

INTRODUCTION

RAW MATERIAL AND SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCTS

SERVICES

STOCKISTS

Current Issues

LEGISLATION

THE SINGLE EUROPEAN CURRENCY

CALL CENTRES

FORMATION OF BUYER GROUPS

SYSTEMS FURNITURE

CORPORATE ACTIVITY

Forecasts

FUTURE PROSPECTS

FORECASTS FOR 1998 TO 2000

Table 33: Forecast Apparent UK Market for UK Office Furniture (£m at msp), 1999-2002

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HBI UK INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

Text © 1999 Key Note

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Last updated by Jacob van Eldik 22th January 2000