In the last two years, approximately 20,000 people have lost their jobs in Poland’s furniture industry, and another furniture factory will close by the end of April. The news comes amidst continued economic concerns and a neighboring war.
Steinpol in Wołów, Lower Silesia, will cease furniture production by the end of April. The factory produces upholstered furniture, and now, 110 people will lose their jobs.
“The Wołów plant will be closed by the end of April for economic reasons,” said Anna Wosiak, Steinpol’s factory director, as quoted by the local “Kurier Gmin,” cited by Do Rzeczy. During its peak period, the company was one of the region’s major employers. The company’s headquarters is located in Rzepin, Lubusz Voivodeship.
The portal notes a report from Money.pl that this is just the latest example of a plant going bankrupt in a struggling industry. “This year, Zorka from Jelenia Góra, which produces for Ikea, has already made layoffs. Last year, the most publicized case was Black Red White, which announced 800 job cuts.”
“The situation in the industry has been difficult for a long time. Little has changed since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. In Europe, there’s no climate for purchasing goods that aren’t essential, and furniture isn’t,” comments Michał Strzelecki, director of the Polish Chamber of Commerce of Furniture Manufacturers. In the last two years, the industry has lost as many as 20,000 jobs. “Currently, there are approximately 140,000 jobs (in the industry – ed.), and together with micro-enterprises and sole proprietorships, there are approximately 180,000. At the peak around COVID, there were 210,000,” adds Strzelecki.
The industry, which is currently in increasing decline, was until recently considered a global champion. “In 2024, China was the leader in furniture exports, with a market share of 41.1 percent. The largest importer of furniture was the United States, with a 26.5 percent share of global imports. In 2024, Poland was the third largest furniture exporter in the world, with a 5.7 percent share, and the ninth largest importer, with a 2 percent share,” another report from PKO BP is quoted as saying.
Furniture companies are struggling with financial difficulties. Over 820 are in debt. “According to data from the BIG InfoMonitor Debtor Register and the BIK database, as of the end of January, the outstanding debt of companies in the furniture and carpentry industry increased by over PLN 10 million to approximately PLN 155 million. Meanwhile, the outstanding liabilities of furniture manufacturers amount to nearly PLN 381 million (an increase of PLN 45 million). Over the past 2-3 years, profitability in the industry has dropped to 4.5 percent,” DZ quotes Money.pl.
“This is a serious warning sign. There is no room for further reductions; we are no longer able to compete not only with products from Asia, but we are also losing out to Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Albania. A slight recovery occurred in 2025, but optimism evaporated due to a 15 percent increase in imports from China,” Strzelecki explains.
Data from the Ministry of Development and Technology confirms that Poland mainly exports furniture to Europe. “In 2023, Germany purchased Polish furniture worth €7.8 billion – 35 percent of its foreign sales and almost half of its furniture imports. Next in line were the Czech Republic (8.6 percent), France (7.1 percent), the Netherlands (5.5 percent), and the United Kingdom (5.2 percent). These countries account for three-quarters of exports, making the industry dependent on the European economy,” the government study noted.
