According to estimated figures from the European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP) the overall EU consumption of wood flooring decreased by around 3.8% during 2014. However, FEP stresses that there is variation between countries with Italy and France feeling the brunt of the decline, while reports from countries like Sweden and Hungary show an upturn in the market. Both Austria and Germany also saw a slight drop in wood consumption throughout the period.

Concerning trends, FEP has found that oak continues to dominate over other wood species, due to its versatility, and exotic wood species are progressively disappearing from the EU market.

The FEP predicts that 2015 will be a positive year for the wood flooring industry and expects to see stabilisation in the European parquet business despite stiff competition from other flooring solutions and in particular LVT which has a strong position in the floorcoverings market .