The UK domestic glassware market — covering products such as tumblers, glass tableware and ovenware, decorative and ornamental glassware — grew by 2.5% in 2013 and 3.1% in 2014, according to the new Glassware Market Report released by market intelligence provider Key Note. Growth has been driven by strong consumer spending, as well as increasing demand for premium quality UK brands from both the domestic and foreign markets.
There has been a surge in demand for British-made products both at home and abroad in recent years, including textiles, pottery, vehicles and tableware products. Several UK-based tableware producers have reported dramatic increases in sales of their products from countries such as South Korea and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and are expanding their operations and workforce to meet the rising demand.
The UK domestic glassware market has also benefited from the growing number of households and residential property transactions, as the majority of households require basic glassware products, while property buyers are more likely to purchase new glassware and tableware for their new homes. Government figures show that the number of households in the UK has risen by 1.8% over the 5-year period between 2010 and 2014, while the number of residential property transactions grew by 37.6% over the same period.
Key Note forecasts that the UK glassware market will continue to grow over the next few years, albeit at a moderate pace. Sales of domestic glassware products are projected to grow by 2% in 2015.
By Kitty Zhang