Furniture Business Sluggish Along With Property Sector Slowdown

Furniture business sluggish along with property sector slowdown

BANGKOK, July 31 (TNA) – The furniture business has been sluggish along with a slowdown of the property sector, according to an industry executive.

Somnoi Yuekyen, Manager of Udom Furniture Factory Partnership, said many furniture shops, which are members of the Thai Furniture Association, admitted total sales of the product this year had dropped by 20-30 per cent.

She said purchasing power of people, who want to buy furniture for home decoration, had declined, particularly the property sector slowed down due to effects of political uncertainties.

Some customers had decided to postpone their order placement since they are uncertain how the political situation would end.

She said the political impasse had unavoidably had a repercussion on all sections of the economic sector.

As for furniture for export, particularly to Europe, she said, producers and exporters had experienced a dumping of cheaper products imported from China

However, wooden sculpture furniture could still compete with the Chinese products for export since it is of better quality and design, she said.

--TNA 2006-07-31