Furniture and solid wood processing is an old and well established manufacturing industry within South Africa and one of the more traditional sectors that account for a significant proportion of employment.
This sector has been experiencing a tough few years, however, the future outlook seems promising, with demand kicking in from the low to middle income households, and with opportunities for niche markets.
In the longer term prospects become even rosier and are linked to the country’s production and export potential. South Africa is a country with abundant raw materials. Also, generally speaking global companies with a presence in South Africa can benefit from the low risk of investing in a stable economy with a stable government, low labour costs and well-established infrastructure, financial and communication systems. Also, as a matter of fact, South Africa often represents a base from which to export products internationally, frequently to other Southern African, Sub-Saharan and Middle Eastern countries.

CSIL Market Research South Africa Furniture Outlook is part of the Country Furniture Outlook Series, covering at present 60 countries.

What can be expected to happen in the market in coming years?

An executive summary (see The Key Facts of the Furniture Sector) provides the furniture industry overview, based on CSIL processing of statistics and company data from official sources, both national and international, as well as industry information and field information collected through interviews with companies and industry experts. CSIL then provides an independent assessment of the industry performance and prospects for the coming years.

What is the market size and its growth rate?

Furniture industry performance is illustrated through updated furniture statistics and through tables, graphs and illustrated maps. Information covers all the main variables necessary to analyze the industry, from the supply side (see Productive Factors – sawnwood, wood-based panels, forest resources, woodworking machinery- and Furniture Production – by segment: upholstered furniture, kitchen furniture, office furniture; by geographical regions in the country) to the market side (see Demand Determinants – population, per capita GDP, households, residential dwellings and buildings, new office buildings and international tourism), Furniture Consumption – by segment: upholstered furniture, kitchen furniture, office furniture).

Which is the structure of import / export?

This study also considers the international trading activity (see Furniture Imports and Furniture Exports) including additional information on countries of destination/origin of furniture and placing all the statistics in a broader context by giving world comparisons of the imports/consumption and exports/production ratios.

Is there potential for my business to go into this country?

Future industry prospects and CSIL’s assessment of market potential are also provided (see Furniture Market Potential – in terms of size of the market, performance, furniture consumer spending, market openness, import penetration) and a cross-country comparison (see Annex: Country Rankings) further enriches the analysis.

Who are the main players, where are they, what do they do?

Information on actors operating in the country are provided both for manufacturers and retailers (see Major Furniture Companies ) for a total of 32 short profiles, and for other industry operators (see Sector fairs, Press and Institutional Bodies).

Selected companies

Steinhoff International, JD Group, Ellerine Holdings, CN Business Furniture, Bravo Group, Easylife Kitchens