22 Apr FMY is formally launching its 62nd edition in the city of Caravaca. Both the city and the fair are great showcases of the Region of Murcia’s international projection

Trade missions will focus on emerging markets such as Morocco, Senegal, Russia or Nordic countries, and there will be a masterclass by architect Paolo Mauri

THE EVENT WILL BE HELD FROM 28TH TO 31ST MAY, WITH THE SLOGAN “COME AND GROW”

The municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, in the midst of its Jubilee Year celebrations in 2024, has been selected as the venue for the formal launch of the 62nd edition of the Yecla Furniture Fair (FMY), which this year will be held from 28 to 31 May under the slogan “Come and grow”.

The Arco Square witnessed a ceremony attended by the Councillor of Economy, Business and Finance, Luis Alberto Marín; the Mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz, José Francisco García; and the President of the FMY Executive Committee and Mayoress of Yecla, Remedios Lajara.

Among other attendees were the director of the event, Juan Miguel Zornoza, members of the Executive Committee of the FMY, Yecla’s Councillor for Industry, Commerce, Hospitality, Markets and Consumer Affairs, María Magdalena Martínez, Caravaca’s Councillor for Personnel, Commerce, Consumer Affairs, Hospitality, Crafts, Environment and Animal Protection, Ana Belén Martínez, associations linked to the event such as Arema, COAC, ICEX, Cetem, and general directors of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia.

During the presentation, Councillor Luis Alberto Marín highlighted the importance of the furniture sector at both a regional and a national level. Thus, he pointed out that the sector’s exports increased by 10.4 percent during 2023 , reaching 142 million euros.

He also highlighted some of the key destinations: the French market, with 46 percent of total sales of 2023, followed by the Italian and Portuguese markets, accounting for 9.7 and 9.47 percent of regional furniture exports respectively. Meanwhile, the fourth most important market is the United Kingdom, a destination that accounted for 7.3 percent of the exported goods last year.

Among the main exported goods, Marín highlighted wooden-framed and upholstered seats (51.95 million euros); metal spring mattresses (17.96 million euros); wooden furniture for dining and living rooms (14.17 million euros) and mattresses made from materials other than rubber or cellular plastics (9.06 million euros).

“Such international market growth gives us an idea of the talent found in our furniture sector and the quality of its products, while also underlining the importance of a sector that brings together more than a thousand companies and which currently generates more than 7,700 jobs,” the minister stressed.

Trade missions to Morocco, Senegal, Russia and Nordic Countries

In turn, the president of the FMY and mayor of Yecla, Remedios Lajara, thanked the mayor of Caravaca for ‘their readiness and hospitality’ at the presentation of the 62nd edition of the event and the regional government ‘for its support’, and for promoting ‘new business opportunities’ and the opening of new markets for furniture companies through the Instituto de Fomento.

In this regard, she pointed out the trade missions that will take place this year, focusing on emerging countries such as Morocco, Senegal, Russia and the Nordic countries. Lajara also revealed that the prestigious Italian architect Paolo Mauri would be offering a masterclass as part of the fair’s schedule, a training activity for professionals focused on the contract sector.

“All of these actions are aimed at projecting the name of Yecla, a city in which nearly 90 percent of the wood and furniture professionals in the Region of Murcia are based,” said the president of the FMY.

José Francisco García, as mayor and host of the presentation, stated that it was an “honour” for Caravaca de la Cruz to host “the presentation of the 62nd edition of the FMY, one of the most important events in the socio-economic sphere of the Region, a reflection of the strength and buoyancy of this economic sector in the municipality of Yecla, which generates thousands of direct and indirect jobs”.

“Once again, Yecla has decided to join the extraordinary year we are experiencing in Caravaca with the celebration of the 2024 Jubilee, a major event in the Region of Murcia,” said García, highlighting the importance of the furniture sector, “which brings together almost 1,100 companies”.

Yecla and Caravaca, leading representatives of the Region of Murcia in 2024

Choosing the town of Caravaca de la Cruz as this year’s venue for the official presentation of the 62nd edition of the Yecla Furniture Fair (FMY) is no coincidence, in the same way as Madrid was last year or Cartagena in 2022. Indeed, in 2024, Murcia’s north-western municipality will become one of the exponents of the Region of Murcia due to the Jubilee Year celebrations.

Therefore, the Executive Committee of the FMY has decided that the kick off for the celebration of the fair will take place in Caravaca de la Cruz, as both the Jubilee Year and the furniture fair are two clear representatives of the national and international projection of the whole Region of Murcia.

As a matter of fact, the Region of Murcia’s furniture and timber exports grew by 10.4 percent in 2023 over the previous year, reaching a total of 142 million euros. This statistic consolidates the Region of Murcia as the seventh largest exporting region in the furniture sector in Spain. Furthermore, the celebration of the Jubilee Year of Caravaca de la Cruz will bring an economic impact of around 200 million euros and will result in the creation of up to 2,000 jobs in the region of the Northwest. Besides, if the forecasts made by the Government of the Region of Murcia are met, as many as one million pilgrims are expected to visit the north-western municipality.