ICOC 2024 in Istanbul in June

The International Conference on Oriental Carpets (ICOC) is one of the most important meetings in the world of antique carpets and carpet research. ICOC XV will be held in Istanbul from 6 to 9 June 2024. In addition to a high-calibre programme of papers, delegates can look forward to a trade fair featuring major antique carpet dealers. The conference venue will be the Marmara Hotel on Taksim Square in the European part of the city.

Gaziantep Carpet Fair in May 2024

From 28 to 30 May 2024, a new trade fair will be held in Gaziantep, Turkey: the Gaziantep Carpet Fair. The event is organised by Tüyap Exhibitions Group in cooperation with the Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce. The southern Anatolian city of Gaziantep is the centre of Turkish machine-woven carpet production and the fair will therefore focus on this product group. Exhibitors are not exclusively from Turkey; companies from Iran and Jordan have already registered. The majority of trade visitors are expected to come from the Middle East, the MENA region, North Africa and Europe.

TTL OP (TTL Süd) files for insolvency

According to media reports, German specialist retail chain TTL OP GmbH, based in Heidenheim, has filed for insolvency on 15 February. TTL OP, which until recently operated under the name TTL Süd, operates 27 interior design stores with around 400 employees in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. The companies TTM Tapeten-Teppichboden-Markt (Suhl) and TTL Tapeten-Teppichbodenland Handelsgesellschaft (Hallstadt) are not affected by the insolvency.

Object Carpet: Red Carpet "Duo" is the star of the Berlinale

The Berlinale film festival takes place in Berlin from 15 to 25 February. Hollywood celebrities, film fans and cineastes from all over the world present themselves on the Berlinale Red Carpet. The secret star of this year's festival is once again the bright red floor that all guests walk on: Object Carpet's Duo carpet is, according to the manufacturer, the first recyclable carpet made of only two materials - and is also fully
and repeatedly recyclable.

Kika Leiner expects to break even in 2024

Austrian furniture chain Kika Leiner, which ran into difficulties last year, expects to break even in 2024. This is according to a report in the daily Kurier. According to the report, the 2022/2023 financial year, which ended in September, closed with a balance sheet loss of 114 million euros on sales of 597 million euros. The optimism is based on the implementation of key measures. These include the streamlining of the product range and the strengthening of private labels, whose share is to be increased from 20% to 30%. The biggest cuts have been made to the store network and staff. Last year, 23 out of 40 stores were closed and more than 1600 employees lost their jobs.

German e-commerce with double-digit decline in sales

The German E-Commerce Association BEVH reported e-commerce sales of 79.7 billion euros in 2023, the first double-digit decline compared to the previous year. At the same time, e-commerce's share of total retail sales fell from 11.8 to 10.2 percent. The furnishing cluster product groups performed comparatively well at the product range level. Home textiles reached a turnover of 1.6 billion euro, which corresponds to a below average decline of 8.7 per cent.

Associated Weavers: Deboodt new Managing Director

As of January, Sebastiaan Deboodt is the new Managing Director of the Belgian carpet manufacturer Associated Weavers (AW). The Master of Business Administration has taken over the responsibilities of AW's former CEO Erik Deporte, who left the company in September 2023. Deboodt was most recently an independent management consultant and also has many years of industry experience in the fibres and yarns sector.

IMM Cologne: Pure Talents Contest with more than 1,000 submissions

The 20th edition of the IMM Cologne Pure Talents Contest for the next generation of designers attracted an exceptionally high number of applicants: with 1165 entries, 893 designers from 76 countries competed for the coveted exhibition spaces. In accordance with the competition’s new concept, the jury of five international designers evaluated the “Objects” (products) and “Spaces” (interior design concepts) submitted in the three categories: “lifestyle and home living in cities with limited space”, “lifestyle and home living in a circular society” and “lifestyle and home living as a statement/message/concept”.

MB Barfuss to cease operations - Theo Keller to take over and continue the business

Austrian carpet wholesaler MB Barfuss will cease operations at the end of 2023. Founded in 2008 by Hannelore and Manfred Barfuss, the company is well-known for its Natur Pur collection. At the end of 2023, the Natur Pur and Pro Natura brands will be transferred to Theo Keller, and long-standing suppliers will be retained. This means that all current orders will continue to be processed seamlessly and with the same high quality. All articles of the brand can still be ordered.

Peach Fuzz is Pantone colour of the year 2024

Peach Fuzz was chosen for the 25th anniversary of the Pantone Color of the Year programme. The present but unobtrusive peach colour between pink and orange is intended to give the viewer pause and create a pleasant atmosphere.