Six new XXXLutz furniture stores in Hungary

XXXLutz took over six Kika stores in Hungary last year. They were reopened on 15 October under the brand name XXXLutz, now offering completely new and larger ranges. During the conversions, special emphasis was placed on presentation and decoration. The new XXXLutz furniture stores were opened in Budaörs, Györ, Pecs, Debrecen, and two in Budapest.

New Ikea branch in Karlsruhe

For years, the furniture giants Ikea and XXXLutz have been competing intensively for market leadership in Germany, with the Swedish company still one step ahead. St the end of September, they opened their 54th German branch in Karlsruhe, in the immediate vicinity of a large Lutz location including Mömax and Roller markets, which also belong to the XXXLutz Group. In a survey conducted by the Karlsruhe online daily newspaper Ka-News, asking whether there were "too many furniture stores in one place" in the area now, over 50% of the participants answered "no".

Einrichtungspartnerring VME improves compared to 2018

The purchasing association Einrichtungspartnerring VME achieved a net profit of EUR 10.07 million in 2019 (2018: EUR 9.87 million) with a centrally regulated turnover of EUR 1.28 billion (2018: EUR 1.25 billion). "This is a very good result after a furniture year with ups and downs," Managing Director Frank Stratmann said at the shareholders' meeting. Founded in 1964, the group currently has around 200 member companies with a total of more than 400 furniture stores, specialist or cash-and-carry markets in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Exhibition "In Women's Hands", Milan

About a dozen female artists and designers were invited to exhibit their work in the exhibition "In Women's Hands". The show, curated by Gisella Borioli, according to the official press release, "brings together designers and architects of very different ages and backgrounds: from decorative items to sculpture to architecture, each woman presents her own being and her work."

The exhibit by Francesca Gasparotti from the SoFar SoNear design studio in Milan features a carpet from the "Ghashgha'i meets Bauhaus" collection. This collection was designed by SoFar SoNear for Zollanvari. The exhibition is open until 29 October 2020 in the MyOwnGallery in Milan.

Roller: Dr. Michael Heller joins the management

From 1 October 2020, Dr. Michael Heller (53) will join the management of the furniture discounter Roller. As part of his responsibilities as Chairman of the Management Board he will also be in charge of the commercial areas. in charge of the commercial areas. Heller worked for the Otto Group from 2002 until the end of September 2020, where he was most recently a member of the Otto Board of Management with responsibility for category management. Kurt Jox (62), the current Chairman of the Executive Board, is retiring to Tessner Holding as planned in October 2020 after a transitional period.

Messe Frankfurt postpones Heimtextil and Ambiente

Messe Frankfurt is replanning the first quarter of 2021. As a result, the Heimtextil fair will move from January to May. "The current travel restrictions and the renewed rise in infection figures currently represent a major hurdle for our very internationally oriented event," says Detlef Braun, Member of the Messe Frankfurt Management Board. For this reason, Heimtextil has been postponed by four months and is now to take place from 4 to 7 May. The Techtextil and Texprocess trade fairs will be held concurrently.

Woodnotes and Nikari join forces

The two Finnish companies Woodnotes – known for its paper yarn carpets – and Nikari (solid wood furniture) are working much closer together, with separate brands but partly merged organisational and operational areas. As CEO Johanna Vuorio from Nikari will take over the management for both companies, Woodnotes founder Mikko Puotila will actively participate in development projects as chairman of the board.

Oriental Weavers founder Mohamed Farid Khamis passed away

Mohamed Farid Khamis died on 19 September at the age of 80. Khamis founded the Oriental Weavers Group in 1979. Today all companies including subsidiaries employ more than 22,000 people worldwide.

Khamis also founded MAC Carpet and Oriental Weavers USA, among others. The group is also active in tourism, housing, industry and agriculture.

US-Baumärkte wachsen zweistellig

DIY stores are among the corona crisis winners in the US too, with the two market-dominating firms reporting double-digit sales increases in the first half of the 2020/21 financial year. Revenues rose 16% for Home Depot to USD 66.3 billion (EUR 55.7 billion) as of 2 August. Lowe’s, meanwhile, saw revenue surge 21% to USD 47.0 billion as at 31 July.

Domotex Asia: 23.000 visitors

Despite Corona, Domotex Asia had a remarkable number of visitors. The fair was held from 31 August to 2 September as a hybrid event both on site in Shanghai and on the internet. Some 800 suppliers exhibited in Shanghai on over 100,000 m2 of exhibition space, attracting an impressive 23,000 visitors. On Twitter, the fair received over 300,000 views.