Record fine for Steinhoff

The German financial regulator Bafin has imposed a fine of 11.29 million EUR on the Steinhoff retail group, which until 2018 included the Poco and Kika / Leiner furniture store chains. The South African furniture group, which has German roots and is headquartered in Amsterdam, had not submitted its Dutch holding company's annual report for 2016/17 until mid-2019, following an accounting scandal in 2017. In addition, Bafin said in a statement, Steinhoff had not published shareholder voting rights notifications in time. The failures are now expected to cost the group the highest fine the authority has ever imposed in securities supervision for breaches of publication obligations. Steinhoff can still protest against the fine.

Antique Rug & Textile Show 2022

The Antique Rug & Textile Show, or ARTS for short, will once again be held in San Francisco from 21 to 23 October. Even though the event will no longer be held at the Capri Motel near the famous Lombard Street, the fair will surely have its very special charm again. Over the last decade the Antique Rug & Textile Show has become a valued venue for authentic and unique antique rugs and ethnographic textiles and an annual highlight for collectors and dealers alike.

Carpet Star 2023: We are looking for the carpet retailers of the year

The editorial team of Carpet Home is once again looking for the carpet specialist dealers of the year to award them with the Carpet Star at Domotex.

Small or large retail shops, departments in furniture stores or online shops: Are you an exemplary retailer? Do you have a particularly strong side – or even a couple of them? Do you shine in presentation? Service? Marketing? Online trading? Can other retailers learn from you?

Then apply with us for one of the Carpet Stars 2023. The application deadline for Carpet Stars 2023 is October 4, 2022.

Simply apply online here: Carpet Star 2023 - Application

Biennale Interieur 2022 cancelled

The 27th edition of the Interieur Biennale, which was to take place in Kortrijk Xpo from 20 to 24 October, has been cancelled. A press release from the organizers states: „However, the numerous shifts in the calendar of furniture fairs due to the pandemic are still being felt today. The impact on the international interior- and designfair world remains enormous, making the organisation of an event such as the Biennale too challenging. The guarantee of a successful and qualitative edition in economically uncertain times is therefore too great a risk. The organisation is taking its time to reflect on the future and come up with an alternative that responds to the new needs of the market.“

Bolia expands into the Asia-Pacific market

In close partnership, home furnishings retailer Bolia and Design Collection will open the first Bolia store in Singapore in autumn 2022, with another shop planned for spring 2023. New Bolia stores are also in the pipeline in Australia, starting with Melbourne in 2023. Headquartered in Singapore and with offices in Denmark and Australia, Design Collection Denmark focuses on global retail as well as worldwide distribution of Danish design brands. Bolia has 77 stores in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, France and Luxembourg, as well as web shops in 30 European countries. In addition, Bolia cooperates with over 600 retailers in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Heimtextil: Frankfurt trade fair trio shows international strength

With 2,300 exhibitors from a total of 117 nations and around 63,000 visitors, the re-start of the international textile fairs at the Frankfurt Exhibition Centre last week was a success. Across all three events, Techtextil, Texprocess and the unique Heimtextil Summer Special, Italy, France, Turkey, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Pakistan and the USA made up the top visitor nations.

Retail in the EU grew by 6.8 percent in 2021

Following a 1.5 percent increase in sales in the 27 EU states in the first Corona year 2020, the retail sector again recorded a significant increase of 6.8 percent in 2021. The highest growth rates were in smaller Eastern European countries such as Lithuania (up 17 percent), Slovenia (up 16 percent) and Estonia (up 13 percent). Larger markets such as France, Spain and Italy also all recorded retail growth rates of over 7 percent. This is shown by the new Retail in Europe study, in which the market research institute GfK examines important key indicators.

German online shoppers against destroying returns

More than 80 percent of Germans support a ban on the destruction of returns. The aim is to encourage online retailers to be more sustainable. The people surveyed would not like to change their own buying behavior on the Internet - either by reducing the volume or by avoiding returns. People over 40 find it particularly difficult to reduce their Internet shopping. Three quarters of Germans prefer providers who use as little or sustainable packaging material as possible. These are the results of the representative Postbank Digital Study 2022.

Ragolle sold to Victoria

First Balta, now Ragolle: The British Victoria Group is strengthening its commitment in Belgium and is taking over the manufacturer of machine-woven rugs, Ragolle Rugs. The strategic objective of both parties is "to ensure the continuity of Ragolle Rugs as a separate brand and not to integrate it commercially into a larger entity", says an announcement of the company. Current owners Herman and Myriam Verhelst-Ragolle will continue to run the company. Nothing is expected to change for customers. The takeover by Victoria is intended to further diversify and provide stability and steady growth.

Flanders Flooring Days: Date confirmed for 2023

An " enormous success" is how the organizing Belgian flooring manufacturers describe their first "Flanders Flooring Days", which celebrated its premiere at the beginning of May. Over 1,000 visitors from more than 55 countries attended the four-day event, for which the companies opened all their showrooms. As a result, the organizers have decided to continue the concept and have set a date for 2023: Flanders Flooring Days will then take place from May 22 to 25.