[Updated] How is the Russia - Ukraine war affecting care home furniture?

Before starting this article, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge all the lives, families and businesses that have been affected by this ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Edison & Day® stand with the people of Ukraine and the determination shown by the Ukrainian people in the face of such tragedy has been truly inspiring.

Without diminishing the severity of the situation in Ukraine it is worth recognising the knock-on impact this war will have on everyday life here in the UK and unfortunately care home furniture is not exempt from this.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the UK government announced a series of sanctions on Russia and Belarus which has affected, both directly and indirectly, a wide range of materials used in furniture, including hardwoods such as birch, beech, and oak, along with fabric, foam, plywood and OSB.

Whilst all these increases are not a direct result of the war, for example, many are as a result of surging energy prices. Timber, however, has been directly affected by the ongoing conflict, with the UK government adding an import tariff of 35%, on top of any other tariffs, and manufacturers being advised to cease buying timber from Russia and Belarus.

Sean Holt, MD of the BFM (British Furniture Manufacturers), said: “This is a national and international issue. Our members are reporting a constant flow of increases, which are impossible to predict and difficult to absorb.”

“We’ve seen a pattern of material increases over the last two years, but the situation has escalated significantly in recent weeks.”

“Compound price hikes of up to 100% are not unusual, and this is on top of the energy cost increases affecting manufacturing, which need to be managed to operate and maintain production. Fuel and labour costs are other factors which are compounding the current situation.”

In March 2022, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 7%, up from 6.2% in February, which is the highest level seen in the UK in 30 years! Contributing to this CPI rise was the UK furniture market, which hit a new record high with prices rising an average of 17.2% in March, up from 14.7% in February.

I trust the above article has been helpful in explaining how care home furniture in the UK is being affected by the war in Ukraine and explaining why prices of furniture are rising so fast.

If you still have any questions please contact us either via our live chat in the bottom right of this page or via the button below.

Who is Edison & Day?

We are a UK manufacturer of care home furniture and have been supplying the market with high-quality furniture for 15 years, we create furniture and experiences that have the personal touch.

We have the largest care home furniture selection in the UK that is available to order online and with our industry-leading Dayex service, you can have your new furniture in as little as 5 working days.

Refrences:

BFM, 2022. Price rises impact on British furniture production - bfm.org.uk

BFM, 2022. Record high for the price of retailed furniture - bfm.org.uk