Lighting, record turnover in 2021
Ambrosia Lamp, Marset by Ciszak Dalmas
The post-pandemic recovery benefits lighting companies with rapid growth in turnover driven by greater consumer interest in the home and by the performance of the Italian market
Lighting companies saw marked rises in 2021, nudging historic highs in terms of turnover, driven by the general consumer trend towards renewed interest in the home and therefore also in its lighting, that emerged during the pandemic.
During the first six months of the year, Artemide Group profits rose 43.9% compared with the same period in 2020, seeing a 63.3% rise in sales on the Italian market. These numbers are also borne out by a comparison with the data for 2019: +10.6% overall growth (+17.2% on the Italian market). Germany was the leading export market, up 10.6% overall, followed by Switzerland (+35.5%) and the Nordic countries (+61.6%). Outside Europe, the Asia Pacific area recorded a 36.6% rise compared with 2019.
The trend was characterised by strong growth in e-commerce, representing 18.8% of the group’s sales, with volumes more than doubled (+125%) compared with 2019 (+57% compared with 2020). The contract sector (+45.6% compared with 2020) returned to 2019 levels, with growth in the Office and Retail segments offsetting the contraction.
“The market rewards competence,” the company says. The growth in sales was driven by products boasting high levels of innovation, such as the systems devised in partnership with leading architects - Alphabet of Light by BIG, for instance - and by iconic products. Artemide continues to invest in its humanistic vision of science, in products with Integralis technology, for example, which add in microbial control. Flexia, for instance, was informed by Mario Cucinella’s holistic approach, in which the acoustic panel section was designed to control reverberation by absorbing the soundwaves reflected into the environment.
Fox Lamp, Nemo Lighting by Bernhard Osann
Federico Palazzari, CEO of Nemo Lighting, confirmed a 30% increase: “We’re doing well. Overall there’s been a major increment compared with 2020 and 2019. It’s a matter of assessing how structural these increases are, which have bolstered the figures for 2021 more than those of some companies. In order to keep this up, and to keep improving, there’s an opportunity to bring in some reforms. We are trying to do this in our own small way. In the management and formation of internal resources, for example, and the desire for increasingly propulsive mandates, from production to marketing. Aside from the fact that we have already incorporated digital and sustainability into our work, and that we will continue to invest in physical shops – we are currently opening a showroom in Shanghai”.
Besides, “lamps express themselves in relation to the surrounding space even when they’re not on,” according to Bernhard Osann, who designed the Swan wall light and Fox upright lamp this year, both dimmable and both LED. “All my designs are dynamic, they incorporate playful movement, flexibility and balance on several different levels. I simplify the objects and keep materials to a minimum, to highlight these dynamics,” the designer continued.
Anima Lamp, Davide Groppi by Davide Groppi and Giorgio Rava
A declaration of essentiality reminiscent of Davide Groppi and Giorgio Ravak’s approach to Anima, inspired by Fausto Melotti’s slender sculptures: “it’s the inevitable need to create things with not very much.”
Davide Groppi, a lighting company under the umbrella of the Italian Design Brands Group (IDB), ended 2020 with turnover of more than 11 million euros, while recording a 55% increase in sales during the first nine months of 2021: “The lighting market is performing very well,” said CEO Davide Groppi. “Nel 2020, despite the pandemic, we closed the year with very good figures and got off to an even better start in 2021. There was a marked growth in sales, both in Italy and abroad. Despite the fact that a large part of our turnover derives from foreign markets, it was Italy that responded most concretely to this period of crisis. The Federlegno data bear this out: the best performance was seen on the national market, up 54% in 2021 compared with the first six months of 2020. We are extremely pleased and hope to continue along these lines, without compromising our philosophy.”
Martinelli Luce
Lady Galala, Martinelli Luce
Marco Ghilarducci, CEO of Martinelli Luce, joined in the chorus of positive results: “At the end of the third quarter of 2021, Martinelli Luce’s turnover was 55% up on the same period in 2020, and it looks as though we’ll close the year at around 19 million euros. The foreign countries that have driven this growth are France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern Europe in general. Despite the difficult economic situation, we’re seeing great results in Italy. There is a strong growth trend, largely linked to online sales, and we have a number of contract project in the pipeline both in Europe and in other countries. This positive trend is undoubtedly all down to this particular situation, driven by many people’s renewed interest in their homes. However, it is also the result of years of strong investment in marketing and commerce, which we have stepped up particularly over the last 10 years. There will, of course, be a period of market consolidation once the pandemic is over, but clients will still want to furnish their houses and to use high-end products, and so I am confident that we will continue to see good results in 2022.” Prospect-wise, the Lady Galala light, designed by Peluffo & Partners, brings together three different, coloured shades, allowing the light to be configured in various different ways, and is an undoubtedly versatile and engaging piece.
