Italy: that's amore!
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Italy: that’s amore!

Made in Italy continues to be recognised worldwide as a guarantee of quality, value for money and innovative aesthetics. The demand for products manufactured in Italy is increasingly pressing and many companies in the sector are considering structural investments in Italy.

Homi interviewed Antonio Bertoli , chairman of FIAC, the association of Italian homeware, tableware and similar manufacturers.

 

 

What are the pros and cons of key Italian players reshoring? Which countries will replace China and the Far East as suppliers?

 

For some time now, the demand for products that are actually made in Italy has been increasingly pressing, because Made in Italy still holds huge appeal for the end consumer. So even many organisations of the large-scale retail trade are focusing, both with targeted operations and continuous sales, on Italian products. As a result, companies in the sector are increasingly considering structural investments in Italy. In this sense, the companies that have had the strength and courage to maintain production in Italy, who still have the required know-how, will be at an advantage.

China and the Far East won't be replaced easily. It’s evident that it all depends on the variation in how much the consumer is willing to pay to have a Made in Europe or Made in Italy product. One emerging economy in the field of subcontracting is definitely India, whose key players are still unable to ensure continued, and therefore reliable, standards of quality. 

Another country decidedly in vogue is Turkey, given its strategic geographical position relative to Europe as well.

 

 

From September, what scenario do you foresee in terms of production and distribution for companies in the home sector and in relation to abroad? In the context of pandemic uncertainty, will they put Italy and Europe increasingly at the centre of their business?

 

Italian companies in the home goods industry operating in retail, despite huge issues of closing and reopening throughout the pandemic, have managed to limit the damage caused by Covid19 and recover a significant portion of their compromised turnover after each reopening. This is especially true in the Italian market. Companies that have been operating via e-commerce for the longest, and are better organised, have even enjoyed double-digit growth thanks to this sales method.

Foreign markets, on the other hand, responded in a variety of ways. Globally, however, less positively than Italy. Even the reopening last spring, internationally it was slower and more difficult. Only now are there signs of a real awakening.

However, the trend for the coming months remains uncertain as end consumers are directing their spending away from the home towards leisure and holidays. So we expect a cooling of consumption for the home channel in the short term. The increase in the price of raw materials and their scarce availability also greatly impacts our industry, although according to a review by Achille Fornasini in partnership with the Anima Studies Office, starting from September, the situation could improve slightly both in terms of prices and availability of materials.

 

 

So Made in Italy still holds its primary role of added value for the sector?

 

Absolutely. Made in Italy, as yet unrivalled, is recognised across the globe for guaranteeing premium quality at the right price with an innovative and universally appreciated aesthetic. We have to hope that, in the near future, the Ho.Re.Ca. sector won’t again suffer the intermittent closures it’s been going through since the beginning of the pandemic until a few weeks ago. Italian products from FIAC companies are appreciated and exported all over the world, but without the domestic market our industry could experience a major recession.