1. The general director of the large online store “Black Red White” Ruslan Shevchenko expertly assessed the state of the domestic furniture market at the end of last year: “Since the beginning of September, a phase of slight growth in demand has emerged, which remained stable until the end of the year. Those furniture factories that were able to reorient themselves to export markets are surviving the crisis more easily, but the risks of power outages, water and heat supply remain painful for them as well.”

2. The government program for the payment of compensation to employers for the employment of internally displaced persons will continue to operate this year as well. This decision of the government provides for supplementing the financing mechanisms of the program, in particular, at the expense of the funds of the mandatory state social insurance fund in case of unemployment (within financial possibilities) and other sources not prohibited by law.

3. “Monobank”, in which more than 190,000 business owners have open accounts, announced the start of a campaign to support entrepreneurs. “Throughout the winter, in the case of payments with entrepreneur cards opened in Mono, we will triple the cashback that you would receive if you paid with your personal card. Therefore, do not transfer the amount to personal accounts – pay immediately from the FOP card.”

4. The World Bank Investment Guarantee Agency – MIGA launched a pilot project on military risk insurance in Ukraine. Three companies take part in it – one Ukrainian and two foreign. MIGA covers capital insurance up to 90 percent. The agency plans to allocate up to a billion dollars to cover military risks.

5. The government is canceling the “e-Trip” project for business employees to travel abroad, the purpose of which was to issue permits for foreign business trips, because a new government decree has appeared that allows reserved military service employees to cross the border if they have the necessary documents. The Ministry of Economy and the General Staff are already working on transferring reservations to an electronic format.

6. China emerged from a three-year global isolation under the policy of COVID Zero (zero tolerance to covid), which damaged the economy. It has been announced that visas will be simplified for foreigners for any purpose, from business and study to family reunification. Restrictions on the number of international flights between China and the rest of the world will also be lifted.

7. In Europe, since the beginning of the pandemic, retail turnover in the field of e-commerce has almost doubled, and interior design and furniture have become one of the most dynamically developing product categories in this field. Last year, the e-commerce sector received 16% of revenues from furniture sales. This share is expected to grow to 22% by 2025.

8. The well-known Italian manufacturer of furniture accessories – the company “Salice” claims that it remains the only European supplier whose assortment and delivery terms have not been shaken by either the pandemic or the Russian aggression against Ukraine; which keeps the production of 3000 different types of curtains and furniture guides stable.

9. The Canadian group of companies “West Fraser” announced that it intends to stop the production of lumber at its sawmill in Perry (Florida, USA) for an indefinite period. This reduces the group’s lumber production by approximately 235,000 cubic meters per year. Such a step is argued by the high cost of Roundwood and the weakening of the lumber market, which reduces the profitability of the plant.

10. Apparently, this year’s leading world exhibition of the furniture industry and interior design “Interzum” in Cologne will not be as representative as usual. For example, its always powerful exhibitor, the Rehau company, announced “against the difficult global economic situation that requires rethinking” that it would not participate in the exhibition this time.

11. The survey on the topic “Home life”, which is conducted by the “IKEA” concern, gives it furniture manufacturing guidelines. According to the results of last year, 37,000 respondents in 37 countries of the world were interviewed. All over the world, people are most worried about financial instability. That is why more than a third (35%) of respondents want to postpone or cancel plans to repair and update their homes.