MILAN — U.S. consumers of luxury design furnishings and decor remain a driving force behind e-commerce sales for the global industry, with the rest of the world expected to increasingly contribute to this slice of the pie.
A study revealed at the 11th edition of the Pambianco Design Summit and spearheaded by Alessio Candi, Pambianco consulting’s M&A director, examined the sales of the world’s top 10 upscale furnishing, decor and lighting firms.
Published online Friday, the report listed the top global companies in order by sales: U.S.-based MillerKnoll, RH, Haworth (which owns Poltrona Frau and Cassina), and Arhaus; Italy’s Flos B&B Italia, Sweden’s Fagerhult Group, Italy’s Molteni Group, France’s Roche Bobois, and Italian firms Dexelance and Poliform. Together, these groups generated 13.3 billion euros in 2024, driven by contract and online business. In 2024, contract represented 21 percent of all sales generated, while online generated 12 percent. This compares to 14 percent and 5 percent respectively in 2019.
Michigan-based MillerKnoll, the largest luxury furniture firm in the world and home to Knoll and Herman Miller, said Wednesday that its net sales inched up to $3.67 billion versus $3.63 billion in its fiscal year 2025. Flos B&B Italia group, Italy’s largest, generated 768 million euros in sales in 2024.
The U.S. remains the main geographic market for luxury design sales online, generating 65 percent of total sales in 2024. The rest of the world represented 17 percent, which rose from 11 percent in 2019.
The top markets for Italian design firms in 2024 were France, the U.S., Germany, the U.K. and Switzerland. Sales to the United Arab Emirates represented only 3 percent of total sales, but the amount of goods sold to the Gulf nation-led gains, surging 23 percent in 2024. The Chinese market represented 4 percent, but led losses, falling 17 percent as consumer spending continues to soften in the world’s second-most populous nation.
“Our market is more populated by brands that have visibility on an international level,” Candi said and he sees these e-commerce and contract trends continuing over the next few years.