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.

E-Commerce in Germany: Accelerated growth in 2020

The German E-Commerce Association reports a 14.6% increase in sales for 2020 compared to 2019, with gross turnover rising from EUR 72.6 billion to EUR 83.3 billion. The main growth drivers were everyday goods such as food and pharmaceuticals. According to BEVH, almost every third online shopper in Germany is over 60 years old.

Leiner/ Vienna: Online auction before demolition

The Signa Group (among others Kika/Leiner, Karstadt,KaDeWe) is planning a new building at the current location of the well-known Leiner furniture store in Vienna's Mariahilfer Strasse. A department store in the style of Berlin's KaDeWe is to be built there. Before the demolition of the 30,000 m2 building begins in spring, there will be a clearance sale in the form of an online auction. In addition to showroom kitchens and bathrooms, 900 rugs will also go under the virtual hammer.

Kika and Leiner with new online shops

Kika and Leiner are doing really well online: according to a press release by the Kika/Leiner group, the number of visits to the sites has risen sharply in the last few months; especially small pieces of furniture (for working from home), box spring beds and wardrobes are in high demand. This is one of the reasons why the planned relaunch of the two online shops has been brought forward. "We have increased their user-friendliness and added new payment options, among other things. This has already almost doubled the conversion rate in the first few weeks," explains Oliver Müther, Managing Director Purchasing & Multi-Channel. The online shops should also work smoothly on smartphones. The furniture can either be delivered or picked up via Click & Collect.

Krieger becomes member of Begros

According to a report in the trade journal Möbelkultur, the Krieger Group will become a member of the purchasing association Begros. The furniture retail group, previously not a member of any association, also includes Höffner and Möbel Kraft. In 2018, Krieger took over Möbel Finke. After Ikea and the XXXLutz Group, the company is currently the third-largest German furniture retailer. Other Begros members are Porta, Kika / Leiner, Möbel Martin and Opti Wohnwelt.

Dallas Home & Gift Market: Feizy wins award for best presentation

The US based rug manufacturer won the award for best visual presentation at the Winter Total Home & Gift Market in Dallas. To bring the showroom to life, Feizy partnered with Artistic Transfer, representing a large pool of talented artists from around the world. Each day of the market, an artist painted live in the front windows of the Feizy showroom, allowing visitors to the market to witness the creative process in the midst of rugs.

SN Publishing House: Nachhaltigkeitsbericht 2021 published

Sustainability is far more than just a word, it is a socio-political topic. Like a bracket, it also encompasses most of the product trends in our industry. And even if many end customers are not always willing to spend more money on sustainable products, the number of people who are seriously trying to consume more consciously is constantly increasing. All good reasons for SN-Verlag - which also publishes Carpet Magazine - to publish the German-language Nachhaltigkeitsbericht 2021 (Sustainability Report 2021).

Heimtextil postponed to 2022, International Consumer Goods Show cancelled

It is now official: Heimtextil will not be held as a physical trade fair this year and the Ambiente replacement International Consumer Goods Show will not take place either. "The Corona pandemic is extremely present at the moment and is also influencing our planning. In view of the current situation, we cannot meet our customers' expectations with regard to internationally oriented trade fairs in April and May", says Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt. The trend-oriented order cycles of the consumer goods and textiles sectors require an annual event in spring, so a further postponement to the second half of the year would not meet the needs of the exhibiting companies.