Furniture made in Italy a big success in India

Text by

Minotti, flagship store di Ahmedabad (India), photo courtesy Minotti

Last year, Italian furniture exports to the Asian giant grew by 25.7%. Ambassador Vincenzo de Luca, together with the companies present in the country, explains the reasons for the excellent performance

According to data from the Agenzia ICE in India, Italian furniture exports grew by 25.7%, topping 50 million euros in the first 9 months of 2022 compared to 2021. It’s worth keeping an eye on the Indian furniture market. It reached a value of 32.32 billion euros in 2021, and is forecast to reach almost 50 billion by 2028. India, explains the Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, has the fastest growing economy among G20 countries and Made in Italy is appreciated for innovation, style, comfort, quality, elegance and high-tech design.

“The Indian market is constantly expanding thanks to a middle class that is increasingly attentive and economically ready to spend on quality housing and furnishings. Our exports and our presence still have ample room for growth in this sector,” explains Vincenzo de Luca, Italy’s ambassador in India. If we compare the Indian and Italian traditions of design, points out de Luca, we can see similarities and spaces for extending relations between the two countries. “Ours is a history of influences and exchanges of experiences, especially in the cultural and artistic fields. The inspiration has always been mutual. There are numerous stories of Italian designers inspired by Indian experiences, like Ettore Sottsass and his work, drawing on the architecture and colors of southern India.” On the other hand, the ambassador continues, Indian designers have always seen Italian design as an example, “starting from the studies in our most important design institutes and keeping alive the ties with the community of Italian designers.”

Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador, Italy, India, salone milano — Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India, photo courtesy

According to de Luca, Italian companies are taking a growing interest in India both as a final outlet market and a production center for the Indian market itself and for the rest of Asia: “The Embassy and the Italian system in India play a role in accompanying companies with consolidated institutional support and information. And, with an ever greater impact, they promote Italy’s role as a destination for tourism and investments, as a business partner and for that integration between the economy and culture, science and lifestyle that the world envies.” The Embassy’s work promoting economic and cultural activities, states our diplomatic representative, are now fundamental events in the calendar of the principal Indian cities, such as Italian Design Day, which will be held in early March to launch the Salone del Mobile with designers, operators in the sector and the specialist press.

The great design showcase in Milan has signaled a growth of interest and attendance from the subcontinent: “Indians were among the strongest national groups in terms of visitors to the Salone del Mobile in 2022, with over 4,000 presences. I am convinced that this positive experience will be repeated again this year, considering the positive feedback of the last edition and the great interest I am already experiencing with many of my interlocutors. Attention to detail, craftsmanship and aesthetic research are traits that fascinate the refined Indian public in search of pieces to show in their homes.”

Molteni&C, which has been present in India for over ten years, confirms the positive picture: “For Molteni&C, too, the Indian market recorded an increase of 27% over the previous year, with an increasing appreciation of our sophisticated, elegant approach to design and that attitude of refinement that Indian customers interpret very well.” 2021 therefore proved very rewarding to the brand, as far as India is concerned: “The past year has seen the completion of important residential projects, where Molteni&C’s furniture - ranging from the kitchen to the living quarters, walk-in closets and beds – came to represent almost all the furnishings in what we could call veritable mansions.” But 2022 was not only a positive year in terms of turnover for Molteni&C: “It has created the conditions for the further expansion of our presence in the country, which will take place this year through a new local sales organization and with the opening of two new flagship stores in New Delhi and Mumbai”.

poliform, salone milano, india, export — Poliform, monobrand di New Dehli (India), photo courtesy Poliform

New openings and good prospects also for Poliform, which alongside its single-brand stores in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Ahmedabad, is preparing to inaugurate a new store in Mumbai, and subsequently in Calcutta: “I certainly confirm the ICE data, which reflect our growth on the Indian market, especially in 2021 on 2022,” explains Marco Longoni, Poliform’s export manager. “Last year we grew by 50% and all the signs at the moment tell us that this outstanding performance could be repeated this year.”

The brand has been present in India for over ten years, Longoni reflects, but until now the country's potential had been muted. “The reason was the taste of previous generations. Younger people today really appreciate modern Italian design and the growth in demand we’re witnessing is a generational matter.” What is still missing compared to the rest of the area, explains the export manager, is a distribution chain capable of satisfying this demand. But there is ample room for optimism: “Issues such as work management and the relationship with distributors are still embryonic compared to other neighboring countries. But the nation has enormous potential considering that, unlike others, India can count on many young people who have studied interior design and architecture and who speak perfect English.” The excellent results of recent years, he concludes, are the mirror of these prospects.

minotti, india, salone milano — Minotti, flagship store di Hyderabad (India), photo courtesy Minotti

Alessandro Minotti, General Manager and third generation of the family business founded in 1948, stresses the common thread that unites the trade fair with young Indians’ growing interest in Italian quality designer furniture. “The new generations discovered the Minotti style at the Salone del Mobile, an unmissable event that has attracted extensive attendance by Indian consumers in recent years, leading them to choose contemporary design made in Italy.” Compared to the sprint of the last few years of the nearby dragon, the elephant seems to be advancing with ever greater solidity. “If China is now firmly established, India today is an emerging market with great potential, where Minotti has been present for several years with two monobrand stores in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. The company is looking to the future and new openings are planned in other cities.”