Porta: Co-founder Gärtner retires

Hermann Gärtner, co-founder of the Porta group of companies, is retiring from all management positions in the furniture retail group, thus finally handing over his life's work to the next generation. This marks the end of an era after more than 57 years, and not only for Porta. Hermann Gärtner was one of the outstanding personalities in the post-war history of the German furniture trade. Together with his partner Wilhelm Fahrenkamp, who passed away a few years ago, he turned Porta from very small beginnings into a billion-dollar company with around 7,300 employees and at the same time decisively shaped the history of the Begros purchasing association.

Balta: Business units officially transferred to Victoria

Three of Balta's main business units are now owned by the British Victoria Group: the business units rugs (Balta Home), PP products for the home and non-woven were transferred to Victoria on 4 April; the Balta brand was also handed over to the British. The transaction had already been announced at the end of 2021; it was now completed on 4 April. With this, Balta is now concentrating more on the remaining business areas

Carpet Week Hamburg 2022: May 4 – 11

Hamburg carpet importers organise joint in-house fair.

With the repeated cancellation of Domotex, a strong point of attraction for the carpet industry and an important trading centre for hand-made carpets is missing. Particularly with this product group, individual selection is crucial for the buyer. After all, it is for good reason that the international carpet trade travels to Hanover every January in normal years.

In order to be able to present their customers with as wide a range of handmade carpets as possible, even without Domotex, a number of Hamburg carpet importers got together and founded the "Carpet Week Hamburg" initiative. The aim was to mobilise as many companies as possible to organise an in-house fair on the same date and to promote it jointly. In this way, the importers reflect on the strength that the city offers. Hamburg is and remains one of the largest trading centres for handmade carpets.

Trade fair Heimtextil with 800 exhibitors in June

With 800 exhibitors from a total of 47 countries announced, Heimtextil will be held in Frankfurt as a unique Summer Special from 21 to 24 June 2022, parallel to the Techtextil and Texprocess trade fairs. After two years of pandemic, Messe Frankfurt finally wants to offer new international face-to-face contacts, inspiring business encounters and a holistic market overview, the organisers announced at a joint press conference.

The focus topics at the Heimtextil Summer Special will be both the international high-volume business and the retail trade. After the one-off summer event, Heimtextil intends to return to its normal schedule. The next regular fair will therefore take place in January 2023.

Home24 completes Butlers takeover

With the approval of the antitrust authorities in Germany and Austria, home24 SE has successfully completed the acquisition of the Butlers Group on 1 April 2022. Home24, one of the leading online providers in the home & living sector, is expanding its own-brand expertise through the acquisition, particularly in the areas of home textiles, decoration and tableware. Through the 100 Butlers shops in the Germany/Austria/ Switzerland region and 32 more in the rest of Europe, Home24 will have access to around 40 million visitors per year. The Butlers range is already integrated on the Home24 platform and can be purchased there. On 2 April, the first Butlers shop with an integrated Home24 showroom also opened in Berlin.

Christie's: antique Polonaise carpet sold for EUR 2.8 million

The auction "Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Oriental Rugs and Carpets" of the London auction house Christie's is always good for record prices. On 31 March 2022, a very special antique "Polonaise" carpet sold for GBP 2.32 million (approx. EUR 2.76 million). The 197 x 141 cm silk and metal-thread carpet dates to the early 17th century. In addition to the excellent condition, the previous ownership may also have had an influence on the price. In the 19th century, the piece belonged to the art connoisseur Baron Adolphe Carl von Rothschild, a member of the well-known banking family.

Raum & Boden trade fair 2022 ends successfully

After two days, Raum & Boden 2022 has come to an end. This digital trade fair was the second event of its kind organised by SN-Verlag - as a joint project of the trade journals BTH Heimtex, Haustex, Carpet Home, Parkett Magazin and FussbodenTechnik.

The trade fair was a success. The number of visitors more than doubled compared to the premiere in November 2021. In addition to the stands of the 16 top-class exhibitors, visitors and exhibitors could meet and exchange ideas in the Business Lounge. The Wall of Inspiration showed the exhibitors' highlights at a glance.

The digital format makes it possible to visit the exhibition stands until 6 April. Only the chat function on the stands and the Business Lounge meeting place will no longer be available. The Raum & Boden Messe 2022 can be reached via the website www.raum-boden-messe.de.

XXXLutz: New opening after total remodelling in Friedrichshafen

In the conversion period of less than six months, an almost completely new XXXLutz branch has been created in the Bodensee-Center in Friedrichshafen. The complete conversion of the almost 26,000 square metre sales area took place during ongoing operations, and around EUR 10 million was invested. From now on, furniture and home furnishings from all well-known manufacturers and all XXXLutz exclusive brands can be found on six levels.

In Friedrichshafen, XXXLutz also wants to show how furnishing and shopping can be digitally interlinked. For example, a 24-square-metre LED wall in the entrance area provides information and tips on living, the specialist ranges are now equipped with digital price tags, and the planning of the furnishings is carried out via tablets that simulate the customer's home.

Raum & Boden 2022 - now open

The time has come: the digital trade fair Raum & Boden 2022 has opened its virtual doors. Today and tomorrow, 16 interesting exhibitors await you. The fair will run on 31 March and 1 April from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.

From the carpet industry there are:
• Bahram Tahbaz
• Care & Fair
• Faradj & Homayoun Farhadian
• Mohammadzadeh & Son
• Oritop

Visit Raum & Boden 2022 right now by clicking on this link: Visit Raum & Boden 2022

Switzerland: XXXLutz overtakes Ikea

Within four years, XXXLutz has bought its way up to become the Switzerland's largest furniture retailer. This was reported by the Swiss business magazine Bilanz. According to the report, the Austrian furniture giant, with its XXXLutz branch in Rothrist, the Pfister, Mömax, Hubacher, Egger, Svoboda, Lipo and Conforama furniture chains, has 73 branches in Switzerland. Now Austrians have apparently even pushed placeholder Ikea off the top spot. As Bilanz further reports, XXXLutz does not report any turnover for Switzerland, but according to its own research, with all its holdings, it is likely to have more than CHF 1.4 billion (approx. EUR 1.35 billion). Ikea, on the other hand, turned over only CHF 1.2 billion last year. But that's not all: the second XXXLutz-branded shop is currently being built at the motorway exit in Dietikon, near Zurich, and is expected to open in late summer 2022.