eu market survey 2003 - crecer

Italy
Italy is the third table- & kitchenware market in the EU, representing a value of almost € 2.9
billion. The Italian table- & kitchenware market, like the British one, shows a stunning
development over the reviewed period between 1998 and 2002. In that period, the market grew
by almost 28 percent. Italy’s high ranking is due to the distinct maturity of Italian table- &
kitchenware market. The Italian market, like the French market, is characterised by higher-priced
formal items. Formal items such as glassware and china are very popular, as can be seen in Figure
3.4. A long tradition of producing designed pieces of table- & kitchenware make Italy an
important table- & kitchenware market.
Glassware is by far the most popular product group in Italy. Because of this popularity, the Italian
glassware market is the EU’s largest national glassware market representing a value of € 1.3
billion in 2002. Between 1998 and 2002, the glassware market grew on average 8 percent per
annum. The second segment, ceramicware, grew by 3.5 percent, to a value of € 628 million. In
comparison with the EU average, the Italian plasticware market is relatively small. Despite this
small size, it showed a healthy growth in the reviewed period.
Italy is the EU’s second cutlery market after France. In 2002, the Italian cutlery market showed a
growth for the third year in a row, rising to a value of € 251 million. China and porcelain, Italy’s
smallest table- & kitchenware market, showed the highest growth of all the segments reviewed. In
2002, the market grew by more than 5 percent, to € 246 million. The Italian metalware market is
estimated at a value of € 274 million in 2002.
Germany
The German table- & kitchenware market is a major market, mainly due to the size of the German
population. According to Euromonitor, the German table- & kitchenware grew in 2002 for the
second year in a row, after being down between 1998 and 2000. In 2002, the market grew by
more than 2.5 percent, to almost € 2.8 billion. Over a longer period of time, the German market
presents the lowest growth of the entire EU, as can be seen in Figure 3.1. Over the review period,
between 1998 and 2002, the market grew by less than 2 percent. Like the British, the Germans
consider functionality and price to be more important than decorative aspects of products,
according to Euromonitor. This, together with the informality of the market partly explains the
relative low expenditure of the Germans on table- & kitchenwares.
Glassware, the biggest table- & kitchenware segment in Germany, continued its recovery, which
started a year earlier, and in 2002 the market reached a value of € 844 million. China & porcelain
is very popular in Germany. The German china & porcelain segment is the largest in the EU. In
2002, this market rose to a value of more than € 587 million, putting Germany even ahead of
France.
As in Italy, plasticwares are less popular in Germany. Plasticwares only account for 19 percent of
the total tableware- & kitchenware sales whereas, in the entire EU, plasticware accounts for a
share of 32 percent. Despite its relatively small size, the German plasticware market showed a
healthy growth throughout the reviewed period. Cutlery is the smallest table- & kitchenware
segment in Germany, representing a value of € 336 million in 2002. The German metalware
market is estimated at a value of approximately € 712 million in 2002.
Spain
The Spanish table- & kitchenware market showed a healthy growth in both 2001 and 2002. In
2002, the Spanish table- & kitchenware grew by 5.5 percent, to a value of € 1.2 billion. As in
France and Italy, dining plays an important role in Spanish social life. With a significant national
cuisine, the Spanish table- & kitchenware market is more formal in than many other countries in
Western Europe. However, unlike France and Italy, Spain has a no tradition in manufacturing
table- & kitchenware and, perhaps as a result, premium items are less important. According to
Euromonitor, Spanish people favour functionality and durability.
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