Domotex 2022 in three halls

In January 2022 there will finally be a Domotex again. In a preview live conference, Sonia Wedell-Castellano (Global Director Domotex) confirmed that the fair would take place as planned from 13 to 16 January in Hanover – in a compact form. More than 500 exhibitors have confirmed their participation and will show their products in three halls: 11, 12 and 13.

Interview with Carsten Gähle (Otto Golze) on shipping rate explosions

This is a short interview Carpet Home conducted with Carsten Gähle (Otto Golze's Managing Director) in September, when the transport situation was getting more and more difficult. By now, costs have increased even further.

Carpet Home: We keep hearing it from all suppliers who import goods from India and China: Transport costs have increased enormously due to the pandemic.

Carsten Gähle: That's true; the per-container prices have skyrocketed in parts from EUR 2000 to up to EUR 18,000. That's an increase in costs like we've never had before. Then there is the time lag. In southern India, nothing is happening at the moment. Especially in China, ships cannot dock in the ports for days. We have seen from the blocked Suez Canal that even relatively short delays can lead to chaos lasting several weeks. Goods and raw material deliveries are therefore getting delayed and becoming more expensive. Furthermore, packaging material is becoming much more expensive and at times scarce. Cardboard packaging, for example.

Ikea tests pop-up concept in Wolfsburg and Ravensburg

This winter, Ikea is testing a new shop concept in two German cities: Wolfsburg and Ravensburg. Ikea pop-ups are to open in busy shopping centres in city-centre locations. The first store will be ready on 1 November in the City-Galerie Wolfsburg; a second pop-up store will open in the Gänsbühl Center Ravensburg in early 2022.

Special edition on Mohamed Khamis in Carpet Home IV/2021

"A true Egyptian visionary" and "the most loving and giving person I have ever met": When Mohamed Farid Khamis, founder of Oriental Weavers, died a year ago, he left a legacy that will strongly resonate for years to come. Carpet Home's special edition on this influential entrepreneur outlines his life and work and the impact he had and still has on the carpet industry.

Exhibition about Tibetan carpets in southeastern Germany

"Drumze. Tibetan Carpets" is the title of an exhibition running from 16 October 2021 to 31 December 2022 at the Carpet Museum in Schloß Voigtsberg in southeastern Germany. 41 carefully chosen rugs from the 15th to the 21th century are on display, starting with old pieces that were part of the everyday lives of Tibetan farmers and herders and ending with the current "fashion"-oriented designer carpets. However, the exhibition's focus is not on the extraordinary, spectacular individual piece, but rather on the typical carpet.

Ikea: sales are growing again in 2021

Ingka Group has announced Ikea retail sales of EUR 37.4 billion for the financial year 2021 (ending on 31 August). Compared to last year (2020: EUR 35.2 billion), this is an increase of 6.3%. "Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the company continues to invest in becoming more accessible digitally and physically, more affordable and truly sustainable", it says in the press release. The pandemic has led Ingka to accelerate its digital transformation, this resulted in an increase in the share of online sales from 18% to 30%.

Corona effect: German retail more digital than ever

The German digital association Bitkom commissioned a representative survey of more than 500 bricks-and-mortar and online wholesalers and retailers in Germany. According to this survey, 85% of the retailers currently sell their goods online (2019: 58%) – either exclusively or in addition to what they sell in their shops. Online marketplaces such as Ebay, Amazon or Zalando play an important and ever increasing role. 92 % of the retailers operate their own webshops; this figure has remained constant compared to 2019.

New Kasthall flagship store in Malmö / Sweden

Kasthall opened a new flagship store in Malmö, South Sweden on 15 October. The first Kasthall flagship store was opened in Stockholm in 2012. Since then, the rug creators have opened a showroom in Manhattan, New York, a flagship store in the Brera district in Milan. Now, Kasthall opened its second flagship store in Sweden. With the location down south, accessibility will be better for visitors from southern Sweden and Denmark.

As part of the opening, Kasthall launches Rapsåker - a limited edition rug from Ilse Crawford's Grönksa collection. The rug is produced by Ilse Crawford and Kasthall as a tribute to the South Swedish rapeseed fields.

Dorotheum: Online Auction until 19 October

View and bid on oriental carpets, textiles and tapestries online: from 13 to 19 October, the Dorotheum Vienna will be showing a large selection, from antique to new, from Anatolia, China, Iran, the Caucasus and Uzbekistan, among others.

E-commerce strong even after the lockdowns

Although there are hardly any Corona restrictions in bricks-and-mortar retail now, e-commerce in Germany continues to soar – even after the last lockdown has ended. According to the industry association BEVH, online retail revenues in the third quarter of 2021 were EUR 22.194 billion.