Carpet imports depressed in Q1
April 14, 2023
Carpet imports into the UK have continued their Q1 slump with an double-digit reduction and notable declines from Belgium and Turkey.
The latest figures compiled by The Furnishing Report from HMRC data for February show the dip in volumes of 11% to 11.6m sqm and while inflation has boosted prices, even the value of imported goods slipped nearly 1% to £75m.
The results follow January data which showed a decline in volumes of 6.5% and a most striking is the 4.3% drop in values to a total of £73.2m.
February was positive only for The Netherlands which saw carpet exports to the UK up over 5% on the same month last year but Belgium continued its very sluggish performance with the value of its exports falling 12%.
The earthquake in Turkey had a major impact in a country that had seen value growth of nearly 20% in UK exports in January (and over 10% in December) but even with inflation, values for February reversed with a 3% decline.
Turkish trade body ITHIB reported last week that textile exports to Europe were 21.2% down in volume following the earthquake but UK manufacturers have said there have been only minor interruptions to the supply chain for polypropylene yarn for which Turkey is a key supplier.
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