Tešanj (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (AFP) – The screech of chainsaws resonates in a Bosnian forest bordered by snow-capped peaks, where wood must be transformed into high-end furniture to adorn European or South Korean homes.
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Bosnia’s furniture industry has seen steady growth, punctuated by an unexpected boom during the Covid-19 pandemic, as supply chains in China ground to a halt, allowing new competitors to enter a lucrative market.
It is a rare achievement in the Balkan country plagued by decades of economic malaise following a disastrous civil war in the 1990s.
In the northern Bosnian town of Tesanj, furniture company Artisan has played a key role in the sector’s rise. The number of employees has increased from 200 to 300 in the last three years alone, according to commercial director Armin Huremovic.
Founded in 2007, the company became known abroad five years later at the international trade fair in Cologne, Germany.
“It took us a long time to gain trust because we come from Bosnia,” Huremovic told AFP.
But the bet paid off.
$855 for a chair
Their hardwood furniture – some designed by artists like Canadian-American artist Karim Rashid and German designer Michael Schneider’s company – is now exported to more than 65 countries.
They offer chairs that sell for around 800 euros ($850) and tables that easily sell for almost 9,000 euros.
As a result, almost all production is exported with stocks often out of reach of buyers in Bosnia, where the average salary is only 570 euros per month.
Even then, Bosnia captured only a tiny share of the European furniture market, estimated at around €96 billion in 2020.
The country is, however, rich in one of the main constituent elements of industry: wood.
According to Ognjenka Lalovic, head of the Bosnian Chamber of Foreign Trade, the timber industry “accounts for 10 to 15 percent of total exports.”
These exports have been increasing steadily for years, although there are fears of a setback in 2023 due to the economic fallout linked to the war in Ukraine.
The sector owes its success to “quality raw materials, an experienced workforce and tradition,” explains Lalovic.
Forest cover
“We are one of the few countries in Europe where 60 percent of the surface is covered by forests.”
Situated in the Dinaric Alps, Bosnia is covered in dense forests, including one of the continent’s last remaining primary forests – Perucica – in the southeast.
Eldin Sabeta, sales manager at Standard Furniture Factory, one of the country’s largest exporters, said Bosnian producers have always produced superb products at more affordable prices than many competitors.
Like other local manufacturers, the company specializing in hardwood dining room furniture has reaped the benefits of the upheaval caused by the coronavirus.
Faced with import difficulties from China and Asia in general, European outlets are increasingly turning to Balkan manufacturers.
“We’ve seen a clear increase over the last couple of years,” Sabeta says. “Every month, a new customer knocks on our door.”
“They need reliable suppliers,” he adds.
© 2023 AFP
