Italy is the first country of Serbian imports (3,7 billion of euro in 2016) and the first foreign investor with the presence of about 600 companies, a fiche of about 3 billion of euro and a turnover which exceeds 2,5 billion.
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Serbian Development Association indicate new spaces for Italian business which has already developed Serbian roots in the insurance sector and financial activities.
In furniture sector, Italian settled player is just one. In the post-war period, the Turi Group was really interested in Serbian market with its Mobilturi D.O.O. and NetCucine brands. In 2013, the Apulian group opened a 2.000 m2 establishment in Jagodina, exporting its forty-year know-how concerning kitchens and high technologies useful for processing and storage.
Today Serbian center is not only a productive place, but a hub for the management and for the control of end markets in the Balkan area (Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro) – where Mobilturi and NetCucine customers are numerous – and in Hungary. From Jagodina, the Italian company is interested also in the trilateral agreement among Serbia, Russia and Belarus which could allow exportations in these markets without paying customs duties of 27%.
Gabriele Magliola provides advice and assistance to retailers for a better penetration market of Turi Group into target countries with relevant perspectives of permeability.
In Croatia, the major impetus towards kitchen furniture derives from touristic sector (residences and holiday houses). The same can be said for Montenegro, where private individuals find facilitations with a moderate VAT rate (19%) for domestic purchases and a reduced tax for natural persons (between 9 % and 11 %).
Macedonia enjoys the benefit of flat tax at 10% on both profits and personal incomes and an easy access to credit. In this country, which imports Italian furniture for about 50 million of euro, there is room for mid-market and cheap products.
Hungary has a market particularly sensitive to “Made in Italy” and to furniture import (70% of commercialized furniture comes from abroad). In this domain, Italy has a stable 5,4% (714, 9 million of euro in 2016) after Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.