In 1999 the Italian market for upholstered furniture (sofas, armchairs, sofa-beds in fabric, microfibre and leather) was worth ITL 3,360 billion. Italian families made approximately 800,000 purchases, spending an average of ITL 4,200,000. In Italy roughly 15,000 traditional furniture outlets sell upholstered furniture but the market share of the large scale retail trade, which includes franchises (Divani & Divani, Poltrone & Sofà, Chateau d’Ax) and large multi-product chains such as IKEA, Mercatone Uno and Semeraro, is growing.

This report studies the behaviour of the Italian consumers of upholstered furniture, taking into consideration: characteristics of purchased upholstered furniture, purchasing process, consumer’s profile. The study is based on 370 telephone interviews with families who purchased upholstered furniture worth at least ITL 1,000,000 over the previous 12 months.

Purchases of upholstered furniture are broken down by: product type (suites, sofas, sofa-beds, armchairs), type of covering material (fabric, leather, microfibre), style of upholstered furniture (contemporary/modern, traditional/rustic), purchase price, number of purchased items. The average total spend on upholstered furniture is also provided as well as spend on single upholstery item.

All the above mentioned data on purchases of upholstered furniture are broken down by socio-demographic characteristics of purchasers (geographic area, size of urban centre, sex, age and profession of head of family), purchase price and distribution channel (specialized distribution, non-specialized distribution, large scale distribution, craftsmen). Availability of computer and Internet connection is also considered.

The purchasing process is analysed according to: reasons for purchase, degree of recollection of names of upholstery brands and retailers, criteria of choice in the purchase, distribution channels for upholstery products, loyalty to the sales outlet, degree of customer satisfaction and reasons for any dissatisfaction.

The consumer’s life-style is examined on the basis of socio-economic status, decision-making process within the family nucleus, living conditions, type of furnishings.

Products covered include: upholstered furniture, fabric upholstery, leather upholstery, microfibre upholstery, upholstery suites, sectional upholstered furniture, sofas, sofa-beds, armchairs, contemporary/modern style upholstered furniture, traditional/rustic style upholstered furniture, upholstered furniture with removable coverings, reclining chairs, recliners, contract uphostered furniture, household upholstered furniture.

Selected companies

Divani & Divani, Altra marca, Chateaux D’Ax, Doimo, Flexform, Natuzzi, Poltrona Frau, Ikea, Nicoletti, Boffi, Cassina, Flou, Mimo, Minotti, Misura Emme, Molteni, Moroso, Seven, Mercatone Uno, Emmelunga, Poltrone & Sofà, Alberta Pacific, Emmezeta