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Solid and growing market
6th of October 2025 Article by Anna Garbagna
Figures from the annual survey on the production and distribution of professional cleaning machines show the sector is dynamic and healthy - reports Anna Garbagna in Italy.
The results of Cerved’s annual survey on the professional cleaning production and distribution market have been released. This sector, which is worth a total of around €7 billion, has proven to be remarkably solid, with prospects for a dynamic and growing future.
Conducted between April and June 2025, the survey was presented by Afidamp, which highlighted the Italian market’s capacity for innovation and growing international openness. Carmine Iuliano, marketing project manager at Cerved, presented the sector’s figures for 2004: production stood at €4 billion, with the chemicals sector confirming its position as the most important with a turnover of around €1.5 billion, followed by machinery (over €1.1 billion), while paper recorded a slight decline.
Equipment, fibres and fabrics, and other products remained stable or showed a slight increase.
Exports continued to play a key role, accounting for approximately 50 per cent of total turnover. The focus on foreign markets was particularly marked in the machinery sector, with a share of 67 per cent, equipment (57 per cent) and paper (55 per cent), while the chemical sector remained mainly oriented towards the domestic market.
Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the countries of the Middle East are the main areas of interest, and companies are forming partnerships with local intermediaries and adapting their offerings to local regulations in order to establish a presence in these markets.
In terms of distribution, the geographical focus is concentrated in the north, but with a more even distribution than in the manufacturing sector, also including central and southern Italy. The offering of distribution companies remains diverse, with a clear dominance in the sale of professional cleaning products (90 per cent), followed by equipment (70 per cent), machinery (66 per cent) and rental services (53 per cent). Total turnover in 2024 was close to €3 billion, with a significant contribution from the more structured companies: 15 per cent of companies generate more than half of the total turnover.
Promotional channels
Chemical products are the most significant in terms of average impact on turnover, followed by consumer products and machine sales. Here too, the sector appears to be growing slightly compared to 2023, both in terms of volume and internal structure.
The most commonly used promotional channels are websites, social networks and, increasingly, direct contact through sales representatives. On the sales side, direct sales through employees are also growing, all aimed at a well-established consumer base: around 70 per cent of customers are repeat customers.
The sectors that generate the most value for distributors are professional cleaning companies (growing with €780 million), followed by industry (growing with €630 million) and ho.re.ca (stable with €520 million). The distribution of environmentally conscious products is also growing, accounting for an average of 14 per cent of turnover.
In short, the future looks decidedly positive for the Italian professional cleaning sector, which recognises the importance of targeted investments, internationalisation and constant dialogue with
the market.
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