With a conference titled “Bathroom and wellness spaces in hospitality venues in view of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” Palazzo delle Stelline hosted the Assobagno general assembly of FederlegnoArredo, an annual event in which the members share information and strategies in a sector that currently involves about 950 manufacturers with roughly 23,000 employees, for total annual turnover of more than 4.4 billion euros.
Scavolini, Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 – Photo © Ludovica Mangini
Events like Milano Cortina 2026, which is expected to draw over 1.5 million visitors from Italy and abroad over a span of seventeen days, represent an interesting challenge for companies operating in the fields of contract projects, supplying large hotels, skyscrapers and luxury residence.
Elie Saab, Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 – Photo © Ludovica Mangini
“The metamorphosis that has impacted the bathroom in the home has also spread to hospitality structures for some time now, which select extremely personalized design products and innovative wellness systems,” says the president of Assobagno Elia Vismara. “The Olympics in 2026 represent a major opportunity for Italian bath furnishings on multiple fronts, and thanks to their unrivaled flexibility our companies are ready to meet the challenge,” Vismara continues.
Elia Vismara
“As a sector we have always been accustomed to operating in a variegated context, because the bath environment involves the coexistence in a single space of different types of products, capable of offering comfort over the long term, and requiring harmony in terms of form and function. It will be increasingly important to form networks and to concentrate on custom products to demonstrate the inimitable value of Made in Italy, which has particular appeal for foreign clients and a global audience.”
Zucchetti, Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 – Photo © Ludovica Mangini
The reported data point to exports for the sector in 2022 of 1.87 billion euros, accounting for 42% of total sale. The consolidated balance of Centro Studi FederlegnoArredo confirms Germany as the first foreign market (309 million euros, +4.5%), followed by France (286 million, -0.8%) and the United Kingdom (94 million, +1.2%). The United States (94 million, +15.1%) has surpassed Switzerland (89 million, +7.7%). The positive trend extends to all the principal destinations, with the exception of Austria (stationary at -0.9%) and Poland (-11.8%).
Cordivari, Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 – Photo © Ludovica Mangini
According to Istat figures for the 1st quarter of 2023, exports of the bath furnishings system in the January-March period of 2023 amounted to 439.7 million euros, with a variation of -4.9% over 2022. Germany (76.2 million, -8.6%), France (72.5 million, -4.4%) and the United Kingdom (24 million, +2.3%) are the top three markets. From a survey conducted on a representative sample of companies, for the end of 2023 the firms are forecasting an overall increase in sales on foreign markets, while the results in Italy should match those of 2022.
