World demand for flooring and carpet is expected to climb 4.1 percent per year through 2010 to 14.7 billion square meters, valued at $162 billion, according to a report from Cleveland-based market research firm the Freedonia group.
Flooring and carpet demand in developed parts of the world will climb, although the pace of increase will be less robust than in developing countries. Product sales in Western Europe will accelerate through 2010, and floor covering demand in Japan will exhibit renewed strength following an extended period of decline, according to the report. In the United States, flooring and carpet sales will be spurred by increases in nonresidential construction and motor vehicle production. However, new housing starts in the country are expected to decline, preventing the floor covering market from expanding at a faster rate.
Demand for non-resilient flooring (ceramic, wood, laminate, etc.), which is the most popular type of floor covering worldwide, will outpace sales of both resilient flooring (which includes vinyl, linoleum and rubber products), and carpet and rugs through 2010. According to the Freedonia report, increases will be driven by the durability and ease of maintenance offered by non-resilient flooring, and supported by growing consumer preference for high-end and natural hard surface flooring products as income levels climb. Suppliers of carpets and rugs, the second most widely used type of floor covering, will benefit from a pickup in building expenditures in Western Europe, rising construction activity in other parts of the world and to a lesser extent, growth in global motor vehicles production.