Rescue plan for Deutsche Messe AG agreed

Insolvency was looming over Deutsche Messe AG, now it seems to have been averted, as reported by NDR. On the night of Wednesday, 9 December, management and employee representatives agreed on a concept to save the ailing trade fair operator: a guarantee of EUR 120 to 130 million was agreed on, plus a capital injection of EUR 20 million. The number of employees is to be reduced from 738 to 525; from 2022 a four-day week without wage compensation is to be introduced.

For 2020, Deutsche Messe AG expects a minus of EUR 103 million with a turnover of EUR 95 million (turnover 2019: just under EUR 350 million).

Tom Tailor furnishing collection: live in Hamburg and online

Tom Tailor is showing its complete home furnishing collection for the first time at its headquarters in Hamburg. On 600 m2 lamps, furniture, carpets and co. have been arranged to create various interior scenarios, sometimes in a natural look, sometimes in vivid colours, sometimes entirely in blue or yellow. The topic of sustainability also plays an increasingly important role. The exhibition runs from 1 to 18 December and can be viewed either directly on site or online via video conference. All rugs are by Theo Keller.

Virtual India Carpet Expo in January

The Indian Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) announces the 41st India Carpet Expo – Mega Virtual Exhibition, which is to take place online from 27 to 31 January 2021 on www.indiacarpetexpo.com. Manufacturers and exporters from India's key carpet producing areas (Agra, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Varanasi etc.) will be showing handmade carpets and rugs, durries and other floor coverings. There will be company and product videos, AI-driven matchmaking, web seminars and online chats. All participants are requested to register online.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, consequently, the travel restrictions all over the globe, the CEPC organises virtual exhibitions as alternatives to the physical fairs. The last one (40th India Carpet Expo in autumn) was a "grand success", according to CEPC-Chairman Siddh Nath Singh. (EDIT: The fair dates have been changed, formerly 12 to 16 January, now 27 to 31 January)

Wayfair closes its only stand-alone store

Wayfair's first and only stand-alone store in Natick, Massachusetts, is being closed down again. The Boston-based online seller of interior decoration products opened the bricks-and-mortar store in 2019 on a space of just under 350 m2. According to Wayfair-spokeswoman Jane Carpenter, it was a great challenge to display a representative selection of the company's products in such a comparatively small area.

Ikea discontinues printed catalogue

Ikea says CU to its printed catalogue, discontinuing the popular furnishing inspiration book after 70 years. The company cites the changed, strongly digitally-oriented purchasing behaviour of Ikea customers as the main reason for this decision. "We have noticed a decreasing demand of the catalogue in many countries, people use it less and less", Ikea's CEO Jesper Brodin explained to the daily newspaper "Welt" in an interview. Instead, consumers tended to seek inspiration and information online, and that is precisely where Ikea now wants to distribute its content more widely, also with the help of apps and planning tools.

Möbel Boss opening in Viersen

Just before Christmas, on 14 December, the 106th Möbel-Boss store is opening in Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The self-service furniture store is moving into part of the former premises of Möbel Klinkhamels (closed down in early 2020); upholstery specialist Möbel Trösser has moved into the other part. Möbel Boss belongs to the Porta Group; Michael Loy will be store manager in Viersen.

Oritop and Tisca: joint in-house exhibition in February

Two Austrian suppliers that offer handmade, but still very different rugs join forces to organise an in-house exhibition in February 2021: From 4 to 14 February, Oritop and Tisca Textil will be welcoming visitors at Oritop's showroom in Brunn am Gebirge near Vienna. Oritop will be showing its entire Afghanistan spectrum with creative new collections and stock items ready to sell; the woven-carpet specialist Tisca Textil has been working on new product and sales concepts over the past few months, which will now be presented for the first time. Catering will be provided. Please register at: info@oritop.at.

Winter edition of Nordstil cancelled as well

The Nordstil consumer goods fair was supposed to take place from 16 to 18 January 2021 in Hamburg, but has now been cancelled due to measures to contain the infection. The order platform for Northern Germany and Scandinavia takes place twice a year, most recently in September 2020 with, according to the organisers, "gratifyingly high exhibitor numbers".

However, since the federal and state governments have now extended the lockdown until 10 January 2021, they see "no possibility of holding Nordstil in a way that would do justice to our exhibitors and visitors", says Philipp Ferger, Business Unit Manager for the consumer goods fairs Nordstil and Tendence. In the course of January, the organisers will discuss the possibility of having the fair take place later in the first quarter of 2021.

Belgium opens furniture stores for individual visitors

As of today, 1 December, "non-essential shops" are allowed to reopen in Belgium – this also includes furniture stores. However, further restrictions apply now: people are required to shop alone or, if necessary, accompanied by a minor. The maximum stay in the shop is 30 minutes, with 10 m2 shop space per customer, and queues in front of the shop must be supervised. In addition, the known rules still apply: keeping one's distance, wearing a face mask and using hand disinfectants at the entrance.

XXXLutz: Cartel Office permits participation in Roller and Tejo's

Germany's Federal Cartel Office has cleared the Austrian XXXLutz Group's 50% shareholding in each of the companies Tejo Möbel Management Holding and Roller, which both belong to the German Tessner Group. However, the Cartel Office's okay is subject to certain conditions, and the competitive effects on the procurement markets will still have to be clarified by an ongoing procedure with the European Commission.