Deutsche Messe downsizes Executive Board, Dr. Gruchow leaves

Deutsche Messe in Hanover, organiser of Domotex among others, is repositioning itself after the crisis year 2020 with losses of EUR 83 million on a turnover of EUR 100 million. One major change is the reduction in the size of the executive board. Dr Jochen Köckler, who has been a member of the management body since 2012 and Chairman since 2017, will lead Deutsche Messe as sole member of the Board of Management in future. His term of office was extended ahead of schedule by five years.

Dr Andreas Gruchow, on the other hand, is leaving the Executive Board after 27 years in management positions at the company. A Deutsche Messe press release describes the separation from the experienced trade fair manager, who worked for many years at key positions in Hanover, as follows: "Thankfully, he has agreed to resign his mandate on the best of terms."

Guido Maria Kretschmer's "Deko Queen": New magazine and TV format

For some years, Guido Maria Kretschmer has successfully been searching for the "Shopping Queen", now he is also looking for the "Deko Queen": In a new Vox TV series starting in March and presented by the fashion designer, two participants will compete against each other and redecorate their homes under a given motto ("Urban Jungle", for example). To accompany this, the Hamburg-based publishing house Gruner & Jahr is publishing the lifestyle magazine "Guidos Deko Queen" with plenty of home decoration tips, also dealing with the topics of sustainable living, hospitality and beauty. The publishing house and the TV station developed the new concept in cooperation; they both belong to the Bertelsmann Group.

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Wayfair: new German logistics centre to open in May

Wayfair plans to open a new logistics centre in the German town of Lich (Hesse) in May, according to a report in the daily newspaper "Gießener Allgemeine". The online retailer for home furnishing products, headquartered in the US, aims to expand its business operations in Germany from there. The new main German distribution centre covers around 95,000 m2; the groundbreaking ceremony took place in autumn 2019. The existing Wayfair locations in Kassel and Hammersbach are to be integrated into the new logistics centre by the end of the year. According to the supplier, this measure is a reaction to the rapid growth on the European market.

PAD Home Design Concept in six extraordinary German showrooms

The south German supplier PAD Home Design Concept invites customers to six atmospheric showrooms across Germany – with products to see and touch and competent contact persons for advice and purchasing. From 15 January to 30 March, and fully Corona-compatible.

Power-Heat-Set GmbH with new dual leadership

Power-Heat-Set GmbH, a specialist in textile machines for yarn finishing, is under new management: since 1 January 2021, Marcus Köhler and Kurt Frank form a dual leadership team for the Bavarian company.

Explore the Bayeux Tapestry online

For the first time, everyone interested will be able to explore the famous Bayeux Tapestry online and spot every detail, too. The 70-metre-long embroidered canvas that tells the story of the conquest of England in 1066 is kept at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandie. The museum is now showing very high-resolution images of the tapestry on its website.

Balta expects sales to drop by 16 per cent

Due to the restrictions caused by the Corona pandemic, Balta Group expects its sales to slump by 16% to EUR 562 million in 2020. In a preliminary balance sheet report, Europe's largest manufacturer of textile floor coverings also expects an EBITDA of EUR 68 million for the past financial year, which translates into a decline of 9 %. With a view to the fourth quarter of 2020, however, the group is optimistic and speaks of a significant recovery of the business situation. In this period, EBITDA improved by 41 % compared to the same period of the previous year.

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Steinhoff Holding seeks creditor protection in the Netherlands

According to a report in the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, the crisis-ridden Steinhoff Group (including Conforma; formerly Poco, Kika/Leiner) would like to settle the dispute with its creditors over a Dutch protective shield procedure for its Dutch holding company. This could give the company time to reach an agreement with its creditors and thus prevent insolvency proceedings. At the end of 2017, the group plunged into a deep crisis after it became known that an amount in the billions was missing from its balance sheet. In October 2020, Steinhoff submitted a settlement proposal, which was not accepted by all creditors.

Poco's home & living trends: cosy, practical and with holiday flair

Furniture discounter Poco presents its new stay-at-home interior decoration trends derived from sales via the company's online shop or the click & collect service: "Cosiness meets functionality" is the first one; cosy carpets and fluffy home textiles are very popular, preferably in natural and pastel shades. In addition, hidden storage space and flexible usage options play a major role.

XXXLutz opens two stores in Romania

The Lutz Group took over all of Kika's Eastern European stores in 2019. The two shops in Bucharest, Romania, have now been reopened with a new shop design and adapted product range. "Romania is a market with potential, in which we aim to strengthen our presence, because the public has a growing openness to quality home furniture and decorations", says , Mario Brozović, the country manager responsible for Romania.