Mömax opens two stores in Switzerland

Mömax, the discount offshoot of the Austrian XXXLutz Group, has opened its first two stores in Switzerland. The doors in Spreitenbach (Aargau) and Emmen (Lucerne) opened in August. Both locations had previously been occupied by Interio furniture stores, which belonged to Migros until autumn 2019, but were then taken over by XXXLutz together with four other Swiss Interio stores. Mömax had offered the approximately 200 employees in Spreitenbach and Emmen continued employment; a large proportion are said to have accepted the offer. Also in autumn 2019, XXXLutz had taken over the Swiss Pfister Group; this means that the Lutz Group is also a considerable player in the Swiss market now. Four more Mömax houses are to open by the end of November.

Westwing with 90% more sales in the second quarter

According to a report by the platform Gründerszene, Westwing was able to increase sales by 90% in the second quarter of 2020. This would mean that the Munich-based company would have generated revenues of around EUR 110m in this period, as the figure for the second quarter of 2019 was a good EUR 58m. Westwing is correspondingly positive for the year as a whole and now expects a growth of between 25% and 35%.

Golze: All-round service for online shops

As a competent partner for e-commerce, Golze offers extensive image and text material for an optimal online product presentation. The various illustrations show Golze's carpets and mats as realistically as possible: as a whole, in detail (material composition and structure) and in a larger context (as part of a room). There will also be product videos for online shops in the future.

Golze also provides marketing texts for all products, emphasizing their advantages and special features. All (technichal) article information is made available via various file formats, which makes it easier to import the data into the online shop. In addition, information on delivery capability or product availability can be transmitted to customers on a daily basis.

Golze has long been active in the field of dropshipping and delivers the goods directly and in neutral packaging to the end consumer, thus e-commerce partners save storage space.

XXXLUTZ Group becomes market leader in France

WM Holding GmbH, a company of the XXXLutz Group, is taking over Conforama France - subject to the approval of the French competition authority. WM Holding had already taken over the French furnishing chain BUT in 2016. Both BUT and Conforama are to be run separately from each other and operate independently on the market. With a turnover of more than EUR 2 billion, Conforama is number 2 in France, BUT is number 3 with a turnover of EUR 2 billion. Through the takeover, the XXXLutz Group will become the market leader in France, overtaking Ikea.

September issue of Maison & Objet digital only

The September edition of the Paris furnishing show Maison & Objet will not be held in the usual format. Instead, a "digital fair" will be held from 4 to 18 September, in particular via the online platform MOM (Maison & Objet and More).

Paris Design Week, for its part, will take place from 3 to 12 September 2020 in the participating showrooms spread throughout the city.

Maison & Objet will also be held again as usual in January 2021. The Work! and Projects sections, originally planned for September, will be part of the January event.

EMV: More revenue, fewer shareholders

Purchasing joint venture Europa Möbel-Verbund (EMV) recorded a 2.8% increase in its centrally managed revenue for 2019, up to EUR 1.29 billion. Distributable profit of EUR 16.2 million was up 5.4% versus the previous year, and the company now has 492 shareholders. This number has been decreasing, as at the end of 2018 EMV had 511 SME furniture retailers as its alliance members. Full-range merchant Segmüller joined the alliance in January 2020.

Salone del Mobile postponed to 2021

There will be no Milan furniture fair in 2020, as the organiser of the Salone Internationale del Mobile, originally moved back to June, has now cancelled the event. The next Salone will be held April 13 – 18, 2021.

Metin Yilmaz (3K) passed away

The industry is mourning the death of a great entrepreneur and visionary: in May 2020, Metin Yilmaz, founder of the Istanbul carpet export company 3K, died at the age of 60.

Domotex 2021: New key theme, special exhibitions in all product segments

Domotex has presented its new key theme: "Cover New Ground!" is intended to motivate people to think beyond previous strategies, visions and experiences when designing and applying floor coverings and to dare to change their perspectives.

In addition to a slightly modified hall layout, Domotex 2021 will for the first time offer its exhibitors and visitors its own special exhibitions and business hubs in all product areas.

Abdi Roubeni deceased

Abdi Roubeni, a formative personality of the rug industry, died on 16 May 2020 at the age of 87. Roubeni was born in Mashhad (Iran) in 1932 and came to Hamburg in 1958, where he started working in the carpet trade. In 1962 he founded the wholesale company Roubeni + Co., which supplied the German department store chain Karstadt, among others. In 2001 Roubeni founded the wholesale company Tepp Team together with the brothers Djavad and Djavid Mohammadi, until he retired in 2016.