Month: April 2020

The COVID-19 situation in Europe is on a knife-edge. The numbers of new cases and deaths have stabilised and are beginning to decline in the worst affected countries, which include Italy, the UK and Spain. This has led to calls for the lockdown measures, which have been in place now throughout large parts of Europe for over six weeks, to be eased as the detrimental effects on economic activity, education, mental health and general well-being are becoming increasingly obvious.

It is ironic that in 2019, just before the market chaos created by COVID-19, the EU recorded its strongest year for wood furniture imports since 2007. That was, of course, when the last consumer boom was at its peak just prior to the market meltdown of the financial crises.