Page 16 - Parquet International luglio 2014

MARKET
THE SURVEY
Help to the SMI
After a period of economic and financial cri- sis, prospects appear to be generally im- proving, at least for a few southern EU na- tions that have always been important for the parquet industry. The financial crisis has also had a negative effect on certain instru- ments that are fundamental to stability and wellbeing, such as access to credit, which has hindered the financial development of countless companies enormously. Requests for loans that go unanswered are damaging the small- and medium-sized companies in particular, and the European Union economy in general. This is the con- clusion published by the Centre for Strate- gy and Evaluation Services. It is therefore extremely important to give fresh stimulus
to dialogue between the financial sector and the SMI because the former has had trouble channeling funds into the real economy ever since the start of the financial crisis and the latter are the engine that will eventually pull Europe out of the crisis.
The floor of everyone’s dreams
Various market studies conducted in the Eu- ropean Union have confirmed that wood parquet is still the floor most desired by con- sumers; it is copied more and more, but nev- er equaled. This is why we must develop a clear and convincing message, and study the best ways and the right channels for the most effective communication. This is undoubt- edly one of the biggest challenges the Euro- pean Parquet Industry must overcome. I
Consumption per capita 2013 (mq)
1,00 0,90 0,80 0,70 0,60 0,50 0,40 0,30 0,20 0,10 0,00
0,05
0,77
0,79
0,65
0,54
0,47
0,25
0,12 0,18 0,13 0,11 0,12
0,21
0,19
0,10
0,05
AN OPINION: the building world needs incentives
We asked Andrea Margaritelli, Sales Director of Listone Giordano, a Fep member company, for his comments on the data presented during the Meeting.
Data are always interesting, and analyzing statistics helps clarify the surroundings. The picture is fairly clear, even if some might make an estimate one or two percentage points higher or lower. The figures show that Europe has still not emerged from the crisis, and
that it seems to be running at two speeds. On one hand, certain nations outside Europe seem to be showing signs of recovery, whereas the upswing on the continent is still slow. I don’t think wood floors have been doing any worse than flooring in general; the reference context is the same: the slowly- moving building and construction world. A world that in my opinion certainly deserves incentives.
What do you think about what Carlo Comani had to say about wood-effect ceramic?
Precise and pertinent to these times, it provided a clear picture of the current situation. This is not the first time that the ceramic world has tried to imitate wood. Wood’s aesthetics are universally adored, and attempts at duplication using other materials have already included first vinyl and then laminate. Now, it’s the turn of ceramics to try to copy wood’s unique beauty, but this need not cause worry, knowing that wood has quite a few other distinctive values that go far beyond the purely visual impact and make all the difference in the world.
AT
BE
CH
CZ
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
NL
PL
RO
SK
DK/FIN/NO
SE
FEP