Although high on the agenda during the cost-of-living crisis, price is no longer the be-all and end-all for all consumers. For 25-34 year olds, the most active furniture buyers, price…
UK
Home Retailing
simple
UK Furniture Retailing Market Report 2025
"The surge in housing transactions is expected to give the furniture market a much-needed boost, with the recovery in finances also putting consumers in a good position to look beyond just costs."
The UK Furniture Retailing Market has shown a mixed performance over recent years. Following a period of decline, consumer spending is expected to rebound to nearly £19 billion in 2025, driven by improved financial conditions and a surge in housing transactions.
UK Furniture Retailing Market Trends
Sustainability is gaining tractionin the UK furniture retail market, as more consumers seek eco-friendly options and second-hand furniture, with 36% buying pre-owned items in the past year.
Younger shoppers are driving demand for premium furniture, valuing factors such as customer service, competitive pricing, and flexible payment options.
Online shopping continues to dominate, with larger basket sizes seen in online purchases, while physical stores remain important for inspiration and product examination. The increasing use of digital tools, such as AI-driven personalised experiences and design consultations, is also shaping consumer behaviour.
Frequently Asked Questions about the UK Furniture Retail Market
Mintel estimates the market size of the UK furniture retail market will reach £19.5 billion in 2025.
Growth in the UK furniture retailing market is being supported by improved financial conditions and a recent rise in housing transactions that are fuelling demand for furniture as new homeowners furnish their spaces.
The leading segment in the UK furniture retail market is living and dining room furniture (including home office). In 2024, this segment accounted for the largest share of the market.
The leading players in the UK furniture retail market include IKEA, Dunelm, DFS, Wren Kitchens, and Dreams.
About The Report
The UK Furniture Retailing Market Report 2025 offers comprehensive insights into current consumer trends, including preferences for premium, sustainable furniture and the growing demand for second-hand options. It covers key areas such as market dynamics, spending patterns, consumer behaviour, and retailer strategies, with a focus on age-based preferences, online vs. in-store shopping, and sustainability trends. The research surveys a wide range of consumer demographics and purchasing behaviours, providing valuable data for furniture retailers, manufacturers, marketers, and investors in the Furniture Retailing Industry. This report will benefit businesses looking to optimise their strategies, enhance customer engagement, and align with emerging market demands, offering a thorough analysis of the furniture market size and future trends in the Furniture Retailing Market.
Key Topics Analysed in the Report
The size of the furniture market within the UK, including market segmentation and channels to market
Key opportunities in the market and how retailers, both specialists and non-specialists, are performing and innovating
How much consumers spend on furniture and rooms they buy furniture for
Channels and retailers used to buy furniture, and drivers influencing the choice of one retailer over another
Sources used for inspiration when buying furniture
Furniture buying behaviours and interests, and future furniture spending intentions
Report Attributes
Details
Published Date
July 2025
Data Range
2019-2030
Measurement Metrics
Revenue in £
Country Focus
United Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data
2,000 internet users aged 16+, May 2025
Number of Pages
108
Market Segmentation
Living Room Furniture, Bedroom Furniture, Kitchen Furniture, Bathroom Furniture, Home Office Furniture, and Dining Room Furniture
Leading Companies
IKEA, Argos, Dunelm, John Lewis, B&Q, The Range, Furniture Village, DFS, Oak Furnitureland, Next, M&S, Dreams, Sofology, Bensons for Beds, ScS, Zara Home, Loaf, and Temu.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Opportunities for the furniture market
Price is no longer the be-all and end-all
Second-hand shopping is shaping furniture buying
Minimising friction to optimise spending
Market dynamics and outlook
Market size and forecast
Market predictions
Incremental recovery is expected
Graph 1: market size and forecast (including VAT), 2019-30
Subdued performance across the board
Non-specialists strengthen foothold
Graph 2: estimated channels of distribution for furniture, 2023 and 2024
Housing market rebounds
Graph 3: number of property residential transactions with a value of over £40,000 completed in the UK, 2019-25
Impact of US trade disruption for the furniture market
Graph 4: prioritisation of local economy and local producers, 2025
Consumer sentiment: the recovery continues
Graph 5: the financial wellbeing index, 2017-25
What consumers want and why
The majority spend over £500
Graph 6: spending on furniture in the last 12 months, 2025
Living room furniture is the priority
Graph 7: rooms purchased for, 2024 and 2025
Online attracts bigger-basket spending
Graph 8: channels of purchase, by spending on furniture in the last 12 months, 2025
IKEA is the mainstay for furniture purchases
Graph 9: store-based retailers used for furniture purchases in the last 12 months, 2025
Temu disrupts the online furniture market
Graph 10: online retailers used for furniture purchases in the last 12 months, by age, 2025
Nearly two thirds come to retailers for inspiration
Graph 11: sources of inspiration when buying furniture in the last 12 months, 2025
Good customer service is the top purchase driver
Graph 12: drivers influencing the choice of one retailer over another, 2025
Quality to be in the spotlight
Graph 13: furniture buying behaviours, 2025
Leveraging the popularity of second-hand shopping to incentivise trading up
Graph 14: second-hand buying behaviours, 2025
Future intention to buy furniture is high
Graph 15: rooms intended to buy for in the next 12 months, 2024 and 2025
Retailer activity
IKEA opens Oxford Street store
Simplifying the search for quality products online
Adspend continues to fall from 2023 high
Graph 16: total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on furniture, 2021-24
MARKET DYNAMICS
Market size
The market is expected to tick up in 2025
Graph 17: consumer spending on furniture, 2020-25
Spending remains polarised but opportunities for trading up grow
Market forecast
Incremental recovery is expected
Graph 18: market size and forecast (including VAT), 2019-30
Impact of US trade disruption for the furniture market
Graph 19: prioritisation of local economy and local producers, 2025
Job security will be a defining issue for consumer sentiment
Forecast – a note on US trade disruption
Market segmentation
Subdued performance across the board
Channels to market
Non-specialists strengthen foothold
Graph 20: estimated channels of distribution for furniture, 2023 and 2024
Online continues to make gains…
…as specialists reduce physical presence
Graph 21: number of specialised stores selling furniture, lighting equipment and other household articles, 2020-24
Market drivers
Inflation continues to stabilise
Graph 22: CPI inflation rate, 2023-25
Wages have continued to rise ahead of prices
Graph 23: real wage growth, annual % in wage growth vs inflation, 2020-25
Interest rates continue to fall, but borrowing pressures remain
Housing market rebounds
Graph 24: number of property residential transactions with a value of over £40,000 completed in the UK, 2019-25
Home ownership remains stable
Graph 25: England housing tenure, 2019/20-2023/24
Consumer sentiment: the recovery continues
Graph 26: the financial wellbeing index, 2017-25
Households are cautiously positive about the prospect of their finances
Graph 27: the financial confidence index, 2017-25
Brits continue to be cautious with their spending in 2025
Graph 28: consumer spending expectations for 2025 compared to 2024, 2025
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
Furniture spending in the past year
Two thirds of consumers have bought furniture in the past year
The majority spend over £500
Graph 29: spending on furniture in the last 12 months, 2025
Spending levels vary by time lived in current home
Graph 30: spending on furniture in the last 12 months, by time in current home, 2025
City dwellers lead spending
Graph 31: spending on furniture in the last 12 months, by area, 2025
Rooms bought furniture for in the past year
Living room furniture is the priority
While spending on bedroom furniture is scaled down
Graph 32: rooms purchased for, 2024 and 2025
Living room and bedroom furniture purchases tend to be more urgent
Graph 33: rooms bought furniture for in the last 12 months, by time in current home, 2025
Flat dwellers prioritise living space
Graph 34: rooms bought furniture for in the last 12 months, by description of current home, 2025
Dining room and home office attract higher spending
Graph 35: spending on furniture in the last 12 months, by rooms bought furniture for, 2025
The majority only buy furniture for one room
Graph 36: repertoire analysis of rooms purchased for, 2025
Channels of purchase
Online is the primary channel of purchase
Mobile shopping is heavily weighted towards younger shoppers
Graph 37: channels of purchase, by age, 2025
Online attracts bigger-basket spending
Graph 38: channels of purchase, by spending on furniture in the last 12 months, 2025
Enhancing personalisation in online shopping
Retailers used to buy furniture
Specialists are the most popular retailer type
IKEA is the mainstay for furniture purchases
Graph 39: store-based retailers used for furniture purchases in the last 12 months, 2025
John Lewis grows in appeal to less affluent shoppers
Graph 40: leading store-based retailers used for furniture purchases in the last 12 months, by age and household income, 2025
Nearly half stick to one retailer
Graph 41: repertoire analysis of store-based retailers used, 2025
Temu disrupts the online furniture market
Graph 42: online retailers used for furniture purchases in the last 12 months, by age, 2025
Sources of inspiration for furniture purchases
Nearly two thirds come to retailers for inspiration
Graph 43: sources of inspiration when buying furniture in the last 12 months, 2025
Younger shoppers are more likely to seek inspiration
Graph 44: sources of inspiration when buying furniture in the last 12 months, by age, 2025
Social media reassures decision-making…
Graph 45: “I trust product reviews on social media more than on retailers’ websites”, by age, 2024
…and serves as a call to action
Graph 46: current and future behaviours towards spending on the home, 2024
Design inspiration is often sought after on social media
Those looking for inspiration are often bigger spenders
Graph 47: sources of inspiration when buying furniture in the last 12 months, by rooms bought furniture for, 2025
The majority seek inspiration from multiple sources
Graph 48: repertoire analysis of sources used for inspiration, by rooms bought furniture for, 2025
Drivers influencing choice of one retailer over another
Good customer service is the top purchase driver…
Graph 49: drivers influencing the choice of one retailer over another, 2025
…particularly among younger shoppers
Graph 50: drivers influencing the choice of one retailer over another, by age, 2025
Raising the bar in customer service
Flexible payment helps lower the cost barriers…
Graph 51: agreement with attitudes towards debt and credit, by age, 2024
…and is set to become more cemented in buying habits
Graph 52: agreement with “I plan to buy furniture using flexible payment options in the next 12 months”, by household income, 2024
Priorities shift as consumers become settled into their homes
Graph 53: drivers influencing the choice of one retailer over another, by time lived in current home, 2025
Getting the shopping mix right
Furniture buying behaviours
Quality to be in the spotlight
Graph 54: “Quality will be my top priority when buying from furniture retailers in the next 12 months”, by household income, 2025
Enhancing premium and quality options
Simplifying the search for quality products
Interest in integrating smart technology into furniture
Graph 55: agreement with “I plan to buy furniture with built-in tech features in the next 12 months (eg sofa with built-in speakers, TV beds)”, by age and gender, 2025
Make sustainable shopping more transparent
Graph 56: sustainable behaviours, 2025
Leveraging the popularity of second-hand shopping to incentivise trading up
Graph 57: second-hand buying behaviours, 2025
Future spending intention
Future intention to buy furniture is high
Living room rises on the agenda
Graph 58: rooms intended to buy for in the next 12 months, 2024 and 2025
RETAILER ACTIVITY
Leading specialists
IKEA continues to invest in smaller stores and convenience
Red Sea disruptions impacted demand, but signs of recovery emerge
Leading specialists: revenues
Leading specialists: operating profits
A focus on enhancing the bricks-and-mortar experience
Leading specialists: store numbers
Bedroom furniture retailers see significant growth
Graph 59: leading furniture retailers, growth in spend and customer numbers, 2023-25
Leading non-specialists
Homeware specialists strengthen physical foothold
Enhancing online experience is also a key focus
John Lewis reinstates Never Knowingly Undersold price promise…
…and grows the range of Home portfolio
Launch activity and innovation
IKEA opens Oxford Street store
Primark opens first standalone home store
Wayfair takes personalisation to the next level with Muse
IKEA integrates Taskrabitt into checkout
Do-It-Yourself Delivery
Advertising and marketing activity
Adspend continues to fall from 2023 high
Graph 60: total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on furniture, 2021-24
The Company You Keep
Get it out of your head and into your home
Finding you a bed that loves you back
IKEA Family is in the spotlight
APPENDIX
Supplementary data
Leading specialists: operating margins
Lounge & dining overtakes bedroom to take the lion’s share
Dreams is the biggest ad spender
More budgets shifted to TV
Graph 61: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on furniture, by media type, 2023 and 2024
Market forecast data and methodology
Market size and forecast: underlying data
Market forecast and prediction intervals (value)
Forecast methodology
Report scope and definitions
Market definition
Abbreviations and terms
Consumer research methodology
How to read: TURF analysis
Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Snoop SpendMapper methodology
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