Chinese shipments fell by a fifth in June
Upholstery imports into Britain fell in the first half of this year as a result of both lower demand and delays in product being shipped from the Far East.

Imports totalled £344.8 million in the six months to June according to HMRC data compiled by The Furnishing Report.

June imports were down 14 percent, the weakest month of the year so far.

Chinese imports have borne the brunt of the decline, falling by a fifth in June and by 17 percent in the year so far, to £166 million.

Some of that is down to lower demand, but retailers including DFS have also cited delays in product shipments arriving from the Far East.

In June, the value of Polish sofas trucked into the country declined 18 percent to £9.4 million, with goods from Italy — the third largest source — up 14 percent to £6.2 million.