Following the considerable decline of 10% in the third quarter, Russian furniture imports picked up again in the fourth quarter. According to the Russian customs authority in Moscow, furniture at a total value of US$578.3m was imported into Russia, corresponding to an increase of 7% vis à vis the comparative period of the preceding year. Increased deliveries from China (+16% to US$154.0m), Belarus (+6% to US$82.3m), Poland (+1221% to US$37.9m) and the USA (+84% to US$24.1m) were the main contributors to the growth. By contrast, imports from South Korea (-53% to US$42.5m) and France (-54% to US$42.5m) more than halved compared to the corresponding period in the preceding year.
In the entire period of 2020, Russian furniture imports - at a value of US$1.868bn - remained 5% below the 2019 level. While imports decreased across all product groups, the strongest decline was recorded in the case of seating furniture, at -10% to US$897.7m. Imports of furniture other than seating furniture (US$902.8m) and of mattresses (US$67.6m) both decreased by 1% last year.
