Major suppliers join in the latest price round for coated woodfree paper in Italy.
Despite a difficult market environment, many manufacturers of coated woodfree paper (CWF) appear to firmly believe that sales prices in Italy can be raised soon. After some producers already announced their pricing plans for the first quarter of 2013 back in October or November, in December two of the leading coated paper suppliers in Italy joined in the price round announcing hikes of 5-6% for all shipments effective mid-January or the beginning of February.
If more manufacturers join in this movement, it would create a united front vis-á-vis paper buyers and they would have no other choice but to except higher prices at the beginning of next year, manufacturers stressed.
Buyers from the printing industry as well as paper wholesalers were not surprised by supplier’s plans, but did not really believe price hikes for CWF paper could be successfully implemented. In December, it were paper manufacturers themselves approaching buyers and offering low prices in order to place orders and/or defend their market shares, several buyers reported.
⇒ This article is an excerpt from EUWID's monthly report on the Italian paper market. The EUWID Price Watch Italy for December was published in EUWID Pulp and Paper no. 51 on 19 December.
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