Demand for furniture assembly and repair has increased in the Russian Federation

In Russia, the demand for craftsmen in the manufacture, assembly and repair of furniture has increased. According to ad services, interest in such services increased by 39-50% year-on-year in January-September. The trend is associated with a reduction in supply after the departure of some foreign brands and the growth of online orders for furniture that requires assembly. Large manufacturers, however, do not see competition with small workshops.

Russians have begun to more often look for craftsmen in the manufacture, assembly and repair of furniture among private contractors and small workshops, according to a study by Avito Services. According to the service, based on the results of January-September 2023, the demand for such services increased by 50% year-on-year, and supply increased by 12%. In September, the demand for furniture assembly specialists increased by 88%, furniture manufacturing services – by 57%, and repair services – by 54% year-on-year.

In the Profi service, based on the results of January-September, they noticed an increase in demand for specialists in furniture assembly by 46%, and also talk about a growing interest in milling machines by 41%, by 22% in joiners and by 16% in carpenters. YouDo.com reported that demand for services in the furniture assembly and repair category increased by 39% in the first nine months of this year, and the number of performers increased by 24%.

The head of the “Repair and Construction” category at Avito Services, Svetlana Filimonova, connects the growing interest in ordering furniture from craftsmen with a reduction in supply after the departure of Swedish IKEA and some other brands from Russia. In addition to IKEA, the Danish chain Jysk left the Russian market after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, and household goods stores Zara Home and H&M Home were closed. Imports of furniture in 2022 decreased by 44% year-on-year, to 103.4 billion rubles, as calculated by the Association of Furniture and Wood Processing Industry Enterprises (AMDPR).

In addition, Ms. Filimonova notes, prices for furniture from private performers and small workshops can often be lower than in showrooms. According to Avito Services, the cost of manufacturing shelves starts from 1 thousand rubles, countertops – from 2 thousand rubles, cabinets – from 10 thousand rubles, kitchen units – from 30 thousand rubles. per product. The service did not notice any significant price fluctuations over the year.

President of AMDPR, General Director of the First Furniture Factory Alexander Shestakov says that furniture assembly services have become more in demand with the growth of online sales of kits, the installation of which may require the help of a master. Ozon says that the turnover of goods in the furniture category on the site in the first half of the year increased by 153%, and sales of large-sized furniture increased by 3.2 times year on year. Ozon notes the greatest increase in demand for wardrobe systems, upholstered furniture and cabinet furniture. Nikita Troitsky, head of strategy for development of the furniture and household goods category at Yandex Market, says that from January to September, the demand for furniture on the site increased 2.6 times year-on-year. According to him, half of the orders are for cabinets, cabinets, chests of drawers, tables and chairs, and upholstered furniture and bedroom furniture are among the growth drivers.

Managing partner of Vanchugov and Partners (among the facilities is the Design Center in Rumyantsevo) Alexey Vanchugov notes that IKEA fans chose the company’s furniture primarily because of the design, an analogue of which is difficult to find, which stimulates the growth of interest in making items on order. In addition, he notes, Russia has inexpensive labor. And a significant share of the work of private craftsmen falls on the reupholstery of upholstered furniture, which the consumer does to save money, adds Mr. Vanchugov. At the same time, he continues, it is impossible to talk about a reduction in the range of furniture and traffic in furniture centers is also growing. The general director of the furniture company Lazurit, Denis Egorov, says that private craftsmen compete more with each other than with large furniture companies, and the company does not observe a trend towards growing demand for furniture repair in the above-average segment.

Anatoly Kostyrev, Alina Savitskaya