The market for office furniture in Canada in 2002 totalled $3,528 million, down 7.2% over the pace of 2001, but the market is set to rise again in 2003 and 2004.

The market for office furniture in Canada in 2002 totalled $3,528 million, down 7.2% over the pace of 2001. This was the second year in a row with negative growth. Nevertheless, on an historic 10-year perspective, the Canadian office furniture market is ahead by 40% and the market looks set to grow steadily in 2003 and 2004.

Research and Markets have announced the addition of the "Canadian Demand for Office Furniture and Trends 8th Edition" report to their offering.

This report presents a detailed analysis of the Canadian office furniture market. The study is segregated by important product categories, such as: metal and wooden furniture, furniture systems, chairs, ergonomic products, space dividers etc. We deal with ergonomic issues and the changing environment in modern offices. It points out new trends and provides market forecasts to the year 2011.

The market for office furniture in Canada in 2002 totaled $3,528 million, down 7.2% over the pace of 2001. This was the second year in a row with negative growth. The value in 2002 fell short of the $3,884 million pre-recession peak level set in 2000 by almost 10%. Nevertheless, on an historic 10-year perspective, the Canadian office furniture market is ahead by 40%, and if expressed in constant dollar terms the advance of 28% is still quite respectable. The author of the report anticipates that the value of the Canadian office furniture market will reach $3,693 million this year and $ 3,875 million in 2004. These figures are measured at retail prices and include transportation, wholesale and retail margins and all sales taxes.

The market for office furniture in Canada is about evenly divided among seats (both of the metal and non-metal variety), all other metal office furniture, and all other non-metal office furniture.

In general it can be said that seats increased their share from 30% to 34% during the past 10 years. The advance applies to both metal and non-metal seats, as well as to swivel and other seats. Non-metal office furniture also gained market share at the expense of metal office furniture. On the the other hand, there is a shift away from desks towards system furniture. These trends reflect the impact shifting technology has had on the office environment.

The market for office furniture is concentrated within the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. The market in Ontario alone -- totaling an estimated $1,490 million at retail prices in 2002 -- accounted for 42.2% of the total, while Quebec's $793 million, BC's $448 million and Alberta's $357 million collectively account for 45.3%. The four Atlantic and two Prairie provinces combined account for about $430 million, or just 12.5% of the total. If expressed in relation to the provincial population, Ontario and Alberta are more office furniture intensive than the other provinces.

Canada's commercial activity is so geographically-concentrated that about two-thirds of the country's entire market for office furniture can be found in its ten largest metropolitan areas. The Toronto Census Metropolitan Area alone accounts for an estimated 21.2% of the market ($750 million) followed by Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa-Hull. The ten largest city centers purchased an estimated $2,305 million worth of office furniture at retail prices in 2002.

This report includes 61 pages and 23 illustrations. This report is due for publication in November 2003

For a complete index of this report click on http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/36358

REPORT DATA SUMMARY:

Canadian Demand for Office Furniture and Trends 8th Edition

Number of Pages: 61

Category: Competitive & Market Intelligence, Wood & Wood Products

URL: www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/36358

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