2025
9
UK Furniture Retailing Market Report 2025
2025-07-18T22:03:26+00:00
REPBFD44BCE_229B_4733_B417_126900F8D535
2600
184719
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Report
en_GB
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."

Sam Nguyen - Senior Retail Analyst

Sam Nguyen - Senior Retail Analyst

UK Furniture Retailing Market Analysis

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 traction in 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 AttributesDetails
Published DateJuly 2025
Data Range2019-2030
Measurement MetricsRevenue in £
Country FocusUnited Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data2,000 internet users aged 16+, May 2025
Number of Pages108
Market SegmentationLiving Room Furniture, Bedroom Furniture, Kitchen Furniture, Bathroom Furniture, Home Office Furniture, and Dining Room Furniture
Leading CompaniesIKEA, 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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  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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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