Revised Furniture Shipment Stats

In September 2006, Statistics Canada substantially updated its Monthly Survey of Manufacturers (MSN) data. It benchmarked (updated and corrected) the MSN data tables to the more accurate Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM), up to and including 2004. VCR's graphs and charts below show the level of shipments from Canadian household and office furniture manufacturers, 2000 to 2006. The "Small Print" below provides more background on data interpretation.

Househould Furniture Shipments in Canada

The total household furniture shipments for all provinces in 2005 was $4,687 million [1], according to data from Strategis; 44 percent of the shipments were exported, 95 percent to the U.S.

Although the recent decline in household furniture shipments in Canada is not encouraging, it must be viewed in context. The industry performed very poorly in the early 1990s and then showed dramatic growth in the late 1990s. Numbers peaked in 2002, after which the rise in imports, primarily from Asia, reversed the trend. Companies making lower-priced dinettes and bedroom suites were hardest hit, and a strike at Shermag, in Quebec, contributes to the lower numbers in that province.

Percent Change in Household Furniture Shipments (2000-2006) [2]

Household Furniture Shipments (CDN dollars x 1,000) [2]

Year	BC	Alta	Man	Ont	QC

2000 [3]	266,097	232,578	297,403	1,990,740	1,876,590

2001 [3]	289,643	317,078	261,650	1,977,701	2,009,309

2002 [3]	321,592	307,995	324,722	2,129,580	2,290,970

2003 [3]	400,356	262,071	342,172	2,052,481	2,196,257

2004 [3]	344,603	247,017	285,708	2,128,075	2,159,438

2005 [4]	324,343	217,266	249,944	1,774,275	1,969,547

2006 [5]	384,775	206,522	197,546	1,578,463	1,718,290

The more robust numbers for British Columbia are likely related to the strong economy and very high levels of new home construction since the start of the current decade. As this pop-up graph indicates, BC's performance was well below the national average for the 1990s; therefore much of the growth since 2000 can be considered "catch-up." The "odd" data for 2006 should be taken with a grain of salt - see "Small Print" below.

** Editorial Update (November 2007): Please see Statistics page.

Office Furniture Shipments in Canada

Ontario and Quebec office manufacturers account for 70 and 20 percent respectively of the total Canadian market. Total office shipments for all provinces in 2005 was $4,420 million [6], according to data from Strategis; 78 percent of the shipments were exported, 95 percent to the U.S.

Percent Change in Office Furniture Shipments (2000-2006) [7]

Office Furniture Shipments (CDN dollars x 1,000) [7]

Year	Ont	QC

2000 [3]	3,500,646	790,944

2001 [3]	3,570,113	832,991

2002 [3]	3,421,576	904,146

2003 [3]	3,151,580	948,606

2004 [3]	2,981,348	845,557

2005 [4]	3,009,030	843,471

2006 [5]	3,082,711	791,539

Small Print

The data used in the above graphs and tables are collected monthly by Statistics Canada, through a mail or telephone survey sample of large, medium and small establishments. These monthly estimates often show large changes when they are benchmarked to the ASM in subsequent years. Even more suspect is the data supplied for 2006. VCR arrived at these numbers by extrapolating the January-July 2006 data for the entire year. The graphs/charts use the year 2000 as the base year for reasons outlined on VCR's Statistics page.

[1] Source: Statistics Canada, Table 304-0014 (NAICS 33712 - incl. institutional furniture)
[2] Source: Statistics Canada, Table 304-0015 (NAICS 33712 - incl. institutional furniture)
[3] Benchmarked to the Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM)
[4] Not benchmarked to the Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM)
[5] Estimated by extrapolating January-July 2006 data; not benchmarked to the Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM)
[6] Source: Statistics Canada, Table 304-0014 (NAICS 33721 - incl. fixtures)
[7] Source: Statistics Canada, Table 304-0015 (NAICS 33721 - incl. fixtures)