Bologna, Italy -- Confindustria Ceramica, the Italian Ceramics Association, reported 2017 sales reached €5.5 billion ($6.39 billion). Growth was driven primarily by the European Union market, which accounts for half of total Italian sales and saw 4% sales growth compared to the stagnation seen in the rest of the world.
“This marked a return to pre-crisis levels in terms of value,” said Emilio Mussini, Confindustria Ceramica’s vice chairman. “We reached sales of 422 million square meters after five years of slow expansion. These volumes are still 80 million sq.m short of pre-crisis levels, the volume lost in Italy.”