How is the kitchen market doing today? Are you seeing a significant shift in volumes and demand in a still-challenging real estate environment?

The real estate market has seen a decline of approximately 20% in transactions since 2023, due to credit restrictions. According to a study by Le Figaro Immobilier, nearly 48% of kitchen purchases are made during a real estate transaction. For 2024, a slight rebound was observed during the summer thanks to a drop in credit rates. In 2025, the kitchen market has not collapsed and is aligning with the economic situation through credit easing. In 2023, kitchen volumes have fallen by approximately 7% in sales units. The same is true for 2024. For 2025, the market is shifting towards kit kitchens and DIY kitchens; this would represent approximately 50% of the market. At the same time, despite difficult volumes, prices in this market have increased, which has enabled turnover to remain high.

Have cost pressures, budgetary decisions, or economic uncertainties changed the customer-supplier relationship? How does this translate into your business?

The word "partner" has a significant impact and requires us to rethink our approach to all of our company's services on a daily basis. All the points mentioned in your question have changed our customer-supplier relationship through daily price pressures, negotiations with markets or the competition, etc. Partnership therefore takes on its full importance, in addition to pricing. Customer service also requires innovation, reliability guarantees, and responsiveness. To achieve this, the market demands shorter lead times and flexible solutions in all their forms. This can translate into digitalized solutions for orders and automation in customer-supplier processes. Finally, we must remain exemplary and transparent about our environmental and social impact.

What levers can be used to differentiate oneself in a market that is both competitive and demanding?

You must offer a unique combination of products, services, and experiences, focusing on innovation and sensory and emotional values relevant to the markets concerned.

"The market demands shorter lead times and flexible solutions in all its forms."

What are the major trends you are currently observing in terms of decors, colors, textures, and finishes?

The 2025 trends in the kitchen market focus on design, ecology, and technology. This includes decors in pastel colors, but also darker shades like matte black, blue, and green, which remain timeless. These are accompanied by bolder, more on-trend colors like terracotta and its pastel variations. In terms of materials and textures, wood effects in structured finishes like the new Sensesation range are highly anticipated, as are mineral-effect decors. Products from our Be Velvet (anti-fingerprint) range are also highly sought after.

With the rise of open spaces and the disappearance of clear separations between kitchen and living room, how do aesthetic requirements influence your product development?

For us, this evolution of the kitchen into an open space is developed in collaboration with designers and architects for the aesthetic aspect. This room becomes a social showcase at the heart of the home, but also a dual-use dining/work space, thanks to islands, for example. We are developing our One World range of colors to perfectly match the different needs of this room. We have also developed products that combine technology and aesthetics, such as the Blackwood range of worktops, which act as a bridge between this open space and the other rooms of the home.

Environmental issues are now unavoidable. Are eco-design requirements becoming a requirement in their own right in the kitchen industry? And how does your company integrate sustainability criteria into its products?

This is indeed essential today. These are factors taken into account when specifying specifications, even if the end result isn't always that way given the current market. Swisskrono has always been attentive to environmental issues, with PEFC and FSC certifications guaranteeing responsible and traceable logging. We work to reduce our carbon footprint with local, recycled, and low-formaldehyde wood. We produce with complete transparency, with environmental certifications that can be downloaded from our website. Our brand has a clear and committed strategy for all our interior design and construction products.

What are your most promising innovations?

Swisskrono continues to be a market disruptor with design, technical, and ecological innovations. In the kitchen market, our Sensesation range, launched at the Interzum trade fair last May, is a major step forward, thanks in particular to the innovative Synchro Wood technology, which perfectly combines appearance and feel. With Blackwood, we finally have the worktop we've been dreaming of for a long time. Ultra-thin and robust, it offers great design potential and allows you to play with shapes. Finally, the kitchen planner available on our website offers a preliminary design in less than five minutes.

What are the challenges facing the kitchen sector in the next two to three years? And the opportunities to seize?

The challenges ahead are ensuring stable supply and price competitiveness; adapting our offerings to the digital journey, which is increasingly present among consumers and professionals alike; and to reconcile the design and technicality of products in line with environmental and regulatory pressure.

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