Assobagno, a positive year

The Assembly is an opportunity to take stock of the industry, which, when one considers the year that has just ended, is showing encouraging signs. On Wednesday, at the Triennale in Milan, the Assobagno companies were able to breathe a sigh of relief and feel proud of their achievements. Figures in hand. The Italian bathroom furniture industry achieved highly positive results thanks to foreign markets and, to a somewhat lesser extent, to Italy. The excellent International Bathroom Exhibition held in April played no small role in this success.

According to the final figure calculated by the FederlegnoArredo Study Centre, in 2015 the bathroom furniture industry ended the year with a total turnover of 2.576 billion euro, up 1.3% over 2014.

The bathroom furniture industry recorded a positive change in the domestic market (+ 0.2%), with particular success in the tap and shower enclosure sectors.

The industry’s exports are more dynamic, showing an increase of 2.9% in 2015 thanks in particular to the good results in Germany (easily the top target market with 194 million euro of exports) and the United States, which has brought the industry’s export share to over 40%.

«I can only compliment the companies – stresses the President of Assobagno, Mauro Guzzini – it is thanks to them that the industry has managed to face these difficult years and can now look to the challenges that lie ahead with more confidence. We will continue along this path in the coming months, promoting the internationalization of companies, especially in markets like the United States and Germany, which offer good prospects. We will further develop collaboration with distribution, in particular with the formation of Bagno Accademia, in order to renew the invaluable Italian market. And we will continue to invest in technical standards to strengthen the sector.”

Trends, as well as figures, were discussed at the Assembly, at the meeting that followed Open mind about bathroom. The stars of the event included architect Beppe Finessi, the curator of the Stanze. Altre Filosofie dell’abitare exhibition, and Carl Pickering, co-author along with Claudio Lazzarini of La Vie en rose, one of the projects on display at the exhibition.