Faradj & Homayoun Farhadian: In-house exhibition in the new showroom

Faradj & Homayoun Farhadian, the Hamburg-based specialist for South Persian nomadic rugs, will be holding an in-house exhibition in its new 3,000 sqm showroom from 25 October to 7 November 2021. The event will focus on the presentation of new collections of the well-known Gabbeh and Loribaft qualities, promotions for goods on offer and, of course, the presentation of the new company headquarters near Hamburg Airport. A comprehensive range of services will be offered to registered customers.

Barfuss, Oritop and Tisca: October in-house fairs near Vienna

When three suppliers present very different handmade carpets at the same time and only a few kilometres apart, the trip is all the more worthwhile (apart from the fact that a trip to Vienna is always worthwhile anyway).

Barfuss, Oritop and Tisca are showing their current collections at two locations in the southwest of the city: Oritop and Tisca from 15 to 22 October in Brunn am Gebirge at the Oritop showroom. Oritop will be presenting a wide range of handmade Afghan carpets, Tisca will be there with their range of handwoven carpets. Food and drink will be provided.

Domotex 2022: New regulation ensures planning reliability

Large international trade fairs and events are once again permitted on the Deutsche Messe exhibition grounds with immediate effect – provided that only persons with a negative test result or proof of vaccination or recovery are admitted and a specific hygiene and infection protection concept is observed. Under these conditions, there is no longer a limit on the number of participants: this is stipulated by the new Corona Ordinance of the State of Lower Saxony.

XXXLutz: investing in stores, online business & warehouse space

The XXXLutz Group intends to invest more than EUR 200 million in its activities in 13 countries – this is reported by the Austrian daily newspaper "Kurier". More than half of this sum (EUR 105 million) is to flow into the Austrian business.

VME: 13 million EUR annual surplus in 2020

With an annual surplus of EUR 13.11 million and a centrally regulated turnover of EUR 1.36 billion, the German group purchasing organisation VME was able to close the 56th year of its existence. This was determined by the partners' meeting (7 to 9 September in Schwangau, southern Germany).

Schöner Wohnen magazine awards "Best of Design" label

Once a year, the "Schöner Wohnen" editorial team awards the "Best of Design" label. Thus, the interior design magazine is building up a new licensing business "and lets manufacturers benefit from the reputation and positive image with which the traditional brand has been shaping interior decoration in Germany for over 60 years", it says in a press release.

Gütebier: Kika/Leiner to break even in 20/21

The Austrian Kika/Leiner chain is expected to end the 2020/21 business year in the black (cut-off date: 30 September). This was announced by CEO Reinhold Gütebier in an interview with the newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten. Gütebier, an industry professional, was brought on board in 2018 to restructure the ailing retail chain after René Benzko's Signa Holding took it over from Steinhoff.

Gruner+Jahr takes over interior design platform Wohnklamotte

The Hamburg publishing house Gruner+Jahr has taken over the interior design platform Wohnklamotte ("living gear"). Wohnklamotte is a platform with an online magazine and shopping section. The magazine offers interior decoration trends, tips and DIY instructions. More than 300 affiliated shops in ten categories with over 5 million products are aimed at young and free-spending people who enjoy decorating their homes.

Austrian furniture stores are profiting as well

In Austria, too, furniture stores are said to profit from the corona crisis: according to the daily paper Salzburger Nachrichten, turnover in the furniture retail sector rose from EUR 4.64 billion (2019) to EUR 4.86 billion (2020).

Specialist product ranges: Online and contract businesses on the rise

In times of Corona, interior decoration and cocooning are very popular indeed. "In the specialist product ranges as well, online retailers have seen the biggest development since 2015; in 2020 they already had a market share of 24.1% by 2020," it says in a current study by the management consultancy Titze, which specialises in the fields of building, living and furnishing. According to the study, furniture stores as well as specialist shops have lost market shares; these sales channels were at 23.5% and 21.0% respectively in 2020. Contract business, however, is said to be on the rise (2020: 8.2%).